OBSCURA BITTERS

First let me say thanks to all the folks that wrote me messages giving me their feedback on the first rounds of logos. Both positive and negative feedback was greatly appreciated. The time has come for round 2 and I’d love to hear what your thoughts are again. But first, there are a couple points I’d like to provide you with to keep in mind as you review the designs.

1. Bitters are made with various herbs. For this reason I thought it would be interesting to bring an organic element to the logo to convey a piece of that. 

2. The overall look and feel will eventually carry a snake oil salesman vibe throughout. Ever seen HBO’s Carnivale series? The show that was set in the 1930’s in the midst of a traveling carnival. Now mash that with a bit of the old world and it’s pretty close to what I’m shooting for.

3. Now, there’s a bit of a story, that may or may not be fiction, that ties into the Obscura Bitters. Now, I won’t burn your time with the whole detailed story at this time but would instead like to provide you with the short version. Here ‘tis. Quite some time ago two gents, from different countries, who had never met before, found themselves in the same forest hunting for food. Unbeknownst to them they were each hunting the very same deer. Now as each tracked the deer and pursued it through the foilage they eventually found themselves face to face and a little perturbed as each felt they had lost a chance at a meal, that would last weeks, because of the other fellow. However, after a few moments they found they did indeed have something in common. As fate would have it they both spotted an odd looking sack sticking out of a hollow tree stump not 3 yards from them. Upon both agreeing they would split what they found, they made closer inspection of their findings. What they found was several small tonic bottles and a small book full of recipes. On the front of that book was the title, “Ob’s Cure”, had been scrawled and inside the book was written a date. A very old date. But, that’s a detail for another time. The important part was that both men, still a tinge upset they had lost dinner, agreed that in the long run this might put food on their table for a lot longer. To make a long story short these men decided to partner up and set off around the globe selling these recipes in the hopes of making others lives a little richer. Now, it wasn’t with a bit of danger and excitement. And of course they kept a journal of all their experiences and perhaps, one day, that collection of stories will surface.

That should cover it. Let me know which logo feels right and which is most visually enticing while also matching the name. What would you go with? Or what would you do differently?

Worked on the first round of logos for Obscura Bitters today. I feel it’s very important to do logos in greyscale first as it keeps your mind away from the subjectivity of color. In the past I have experienced, when I do logos in color the first round, that often times one does not like a logo because subconsciously they don’t like the color. Change the color and suddenly it’s a hit. Taking color completely out of the picture will most often get around this hurdle. Now that the first round is done, it’s time to sit on it for a bit.

If you readers out there have an opinion, I’d love to hear it. 

There are three primary building blocks to making bitters. The bitter mix, the flavor and the solution. The first step I’m taking now is to refine my bitter mix. Today I worked on, and finalized, my initial list of bitter herbs and placed the first order. Below is that list. Lots of goodies to experiment with aside from the common Gentian, Quassia root and Wormwood. 

The List:
Gentian Root
Dandelion Root
Quassia Bark
Wormwood
Jasmine Flowers
Juniper Berry
Cacao Nibs
Cardamom Pods
Allspice whole
Chamomile Flowers
Coriander Seed
Cloves whole
Milk Thistle Seed
Fringe Tree Bark
Burdock Root
Bayberry Root Bark
Fennel Seed
Anise Star Pods
Lavender Flowers
Horehound
Hibiscus Flowers
Caraway Seed  

[ Note: There are some flavoring agents in the list above as well. ]

For quite some time I’ve had a great love for the world of cocktails. In that time I’ve grown to love bitters and the part they play in mixology. That love birthed the need to experiment in mixing my own bitters and syrups. After a couple months of toying with the idea of embarking on a journey to create my own product, I made a decision to go for it in an area that I have a deep passion for. I’m going to create my own brand of Bitters and Syrups. Something I know is certainly not easy but I feel driven to do it.

A few other things I’m passionate about, and important to this process, are ideation, design, branding, online marketing and technology. So much, in fact, that I turned these particular loves into a 13 year career (so far). In that time I’ve taken on many design and branding projects for clients, as well as personal projects, one of which was a small design firm, ranging anywhere from 5 to 7 employees. Two years ago I sold that design firm now work for a great online marketing and interactive development shop, Paramore|Redd, in Nashville, TN. I work with some truly great minds. A group of folks that truly share information with each other, explore new areas of technology and truly work as a team. This willingness to share information is nothing short of inspiring. And what I’ve learned is that this openness makes for a truly better product/creation in the end. 

As I sat in my office this morning thinking about this new product I reflected on my team and Paramore|Redd and wondered what would happen if I applied this sharing thing to the process of creating my own product. What if I shared my entire process from beginning to end. Shared the idea, the learnings, processes, successes, failures and everything else that comes along with creating and developing a product. This is the first time I’ve tried something like this and perhaps the choice to share may mean I learn more and, at the end of the day, create a better batch of bitters. Suffice it to say, this thinking didn’t come without some concerns.

The initial fear that reared it’s head, of course, was that of someone potentially stealing this idea. It could very well happen but as I carried on with the thought I started realizing that it’s a lot like photography in some ways (you could say I also have a love for photography). Anyone can buy a camera and a copy of photoshop and go to town with both of them. However, the separation, in my opinion, comes from the eye of the photographer, their creative unique ideas and the ability to cut away the garbage. The subtlety in which they apply their edits. This could apply to just about any other artform, so why wouldn’t it be the same with the bitters. If someone learns how to create them from this blog, gain a few marketing tips, learn the business of creating products, etc., that’s great. It’s more than I could have hoped for. However, what they do with that learning, or don’t do, is what is going to separate my product from theirs.

The second concern that had it’s way with my mind is the concern with being so transparent. Transparency can be overwhelming. This product creation could be wildly successful, or a complete failure. Being really honest, I’m not one to mind sharing my successes with anyone, but sharing my failures with anyone that cares to read this blog scares the hell out of me. But the fact that I was scared of this bothered me more than the fear. Many companies and great leaders have shared their failures publicly and walked away better for it. In fact it helped them grow as well as the others they shared it with. So why not follow in those footsteps and try something different.

It seems, at least for now, I’ve overcome my concerns and found all the reasons I need to move forward with this idea that has been brewing. This brings me to the purpose of this blog. As I launch out and create this new product I have decided to share everything along the way. The good, the bad and the ugly. Regardless of what the result, I hope others will glean something from this to apply to their own ventures, but most of all I hope this openness will allow me to meet and learn from others on the same journey.