Cajun Chef Ryan Logo
Branding is more than just your logo or the look and feel of your website or blog. An organizations “brand” is more about the idea and the perceived value formed by its projected audience, and is based on the culture, product, and service. The way an organization identifies itself, or distinguishes itself is typically based on the logo, tag lines, motto, slogan, and the color scheme, but quickly expands into every way you connect with the customers. The brand is typified in the wording, the text, and the fonts, the quality of print and paper used, and the employees who directly interact with customers, the furniture, the office space, and the web site. Customer service goes a long way in defining the company brand and quality is always king. How do you convey all this to your customers?
How do you get your brand to boogie down to the Cajun two-step with your customers? The logo above is my first attempt at defining a brand for me, but it should go further, and something is still missing it seems. The boiling pot of gumbo under the word “Cajun”, and the shrimp forms the “C”, then the chef hat covering the “C” in the word “Chef”, but is that enough? So I want to go out now and ask who am I? I know who I am, but I want to know what you think I am. So, what do you think about me?
Let’s play a game. As you all know, I’ve got the Cajun Chef Ryan food blog going for several years now, but there isn’t exactly a well defined brand attached to it just yet. I know myself, but I want to know what others perceive me as. Whether you’ve known me for decades, or have never met me in real life, can you give three adjectives to describe what you think when you think “Ryan Boudreaux”?
Please be open and honest, and I’ll summarize the results later! I’ve already asked a couple of people on email and Facebook. It will be interesting to see the results.
You guys can stop laughing now.
Play nice, or else I’ll send you to the prep kitchen to peel sacks of onions and potatoes.
21 responses so far ↓
1 Magic of Spice // Oct 13, 2010 at 4:04 pm
I have to admit this is the one time I am nervous being the first comment…
My first thought is that I love that you teach and in such a way that from the experienced Chef down to the person that has little experience in the kitchen and just ran across a recipe, can benefit from.
Secondly, I both enjoy and appreciate the detail, love and care that you give to your dishes. Whether they require a high level of skill of just scrumptious comfort foods.
Basically I find your site welcoming and a pleasure all around 🙂
2 Magic of Spice // Oct 13, 2010 at 4:32 pm
Sorry, here are the adjectives…
Impassioned
Versed
Skillful
I just took the long way first comment 🙂
3 Robert Bush // Oct 13, 2010 at 4:53 pm
It’s interesting that you posed the question not about CAJUN CHEF RYAN but about Ryan Boudreaux. So, to answer that directly, although I have known your last name for a while and it’s an interesting name in itself, I think of you as Cajun Chef Ryan – I think THAT is your “brand name”. To be honest, I think that the logo misses the mark, and you should get a qualified professional graphic designer to help you. If you need a suggestion, I’ll be glad to offer one. All the best and thanks for your blog, which I always enjoy. RB
4 5 Star Foodie // Oct 13, 2010 at 9:58 pm
creative
professional
delicious soulful food
🙂
5 Emily @Cleanliness // Oct 14, 2010 at 9:26 am
I think of gourmet, accessible cooking with a Cajun flare.
6 Emily @Cleanliness // Oct 14, 2010 at 9:26 am
Whoops. I meant gourmet, yet accessible.
Hehe. I have the it’s-almost-Friday-brains!
7 OC2Seattle // Oct 14, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Knowledgeable
Accessible
Generous with your knowledge, time and willingness to help others.
8 Gloria // Oct 14, 2010 at 3:30 pm
I agree with Robert Bush that you deserve a better logo. Either slant or don’t slant the font and my idea would be to have a cauldron shape as the background with the rest “labelling” the cauldron.
You are:
Expert
Inspiring
Pleasing
or HOT HOT HOT!
9 Zada // Oct 14, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Friendly…willing to chat & message
Knowledgeable….gives good information
Generous..with recipe sharing
KEEP IT UP! ♫♪♫
10 Elizabeth Able // Oct 14, 2010 at 4:36 pm
Hmmm…
A kettle could be anything from a witches brew to campfire coffee.
I don’t know why, but I am getting an image of a single crayfish on a diagonal skewer, surrounded by a fat, happy, classique-looking font that says “Cajun Chef Ryan.” I see something in a serif-style font. Is there an easy-to-read font that says “Louisiana” to you? Is there another easy-to-identify Cajun-style food that’d say “Cajun” and YOU?
11 Jason's BBQ Adventures // Oct 14, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Passionate
Intelligent
Kind
12 Angie // Oct 14, 2010 at 7:14 pm
It’s hard for me to put these things into words, I have feelings about how I perceive you, although I have never met you in real life, I would say very experienced, very friendly and outgoing and charming because I am envisioning you with a similar accent to the guy with the red overalls, but not nearly as thick.
So I would think your logo, brand to be bold, sharp, red elements, yet familiar and appealing to the eye so it’s also friendly. And family oriented.
13 Drick // Oct 14, 2010 at 7:31 pm
intuitive, passionate, friend
14 Gera@SweetsFoodsBlog // Oct 14, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Gourmet
Creative
Cajun Master
Very Friendly
I’ll think others – now I need to end my weekly roundup!
Cheers,
Gera
15 Beth // Oct 15, 2010 at 7:47 am
Confident, thoughtful, diligent is what I would use from not having met you personally.
16 Ingeborg // Oct 15, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Passionate
Selfless
Very kind and thoughtful
17 Anna Johnston // Oct 16, 2010 at 10:09 am
I think ‘Cajun Chef Ryan’ is your brand, I love that you showcase Cajun cooking so I’m thinking a ‘cajun’ design (is there such a thing?); I’m kinda with Magic of Spice’s comment Ryan…, get a really professional logo that sings out to the world who you are & don’t go hiding your incredible talent under a little soft logo.
Intelligent, delicious food…
I could go on
🙂
18 zerrin // Oct 16, 2010 at 4:02 pm
creative
ingenius
hard working
19 redkathy // Oct 16, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Spicy
Professional
Kind
Family Man
20 Island Vittles // Oct 20, 2010 at 1:27 pm
Professional
Knowledgeable
Engaging
In my humble opinion, your logo needs to be bolder — I think of you first and foremost as a professional, so I think a more refined logo would do you brand more justice.
Have fun with the design process! Theresa
21 Conor @ HoldtheBeef // Oct 23, 2010 at 11:21 am
I think… Professional but Approachable 🙂
..and I wish you all the patience in the world at coming up with this! I’m currently designing a new blog header and it’s taking quite a while – editing, then re-editing, then going back to an original picture, then changiing my mind again ugh! I hope you’re more decisive than I!