General George Cluckington Gets Makeover
The iconography of America is central to the popularity of Yankee Doodle Dandy’s – a food truck known across New York City for patriotic visuals and tasty chicken tenders. But that same All-American branding is also complicated by the recent increase in political divisiveness. Hoping to evolve its brand while not losing sight of its uniquely American voice, Yankee Doodle Dandy’s turned to branding and design studio CONTINO – collaborating to conceptualize the chicken brand’s first restaurant.
The result is a logo, illustration and icon refresh (including chicken mascot General George Cluckington), as well as new packaging and collateral designs – tissue paper, take out boxes, cups and more – featuring simplified line work, bolder colors, and clean block print for increased legibility. CONTINO also helped design a look for the space itself – signage, murals and overall customer experience. “We wanted to bring that backyard BBQ, food truck community vibe to the space, making sure everyone felt welcome, while still giving customers a bit of an elevated experience,” explains Founder and CCO Jon Contino.
The new branding seeks to removes itself from any potential political conversation while still creating something decidedly American. Says Contino: “We decided to fully embrace the brand’s quirkiness and the universally celebrated aspects of the American brand meant to unify, not divide.” Agency clients include the Chicago White Sox, Hulu, Nike, MillerCoors, American Eagle, Coca-Cola and many others.
