Justen Hong, Author at Visual Lure

Justen Hong Featured in VoyageSTL’s Most Inspiring Stories in St. Louis

Posted on July 15, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

Justen Hong was recently featured in VoyageSTL’s “Most Inspiring Stories in St. Louis.” VoyageSTL aims to spotlight the amazing individuals who bring life and vibrancy to the St. Louis, MO area. The publication highlights incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs, and change-makers, celebrating their unique stories.

VoyageSTL is part of the LA-based Voyage Group of Magazines. Their mission is to promote small businesses, artists, creatives, and makers by providing a platform for these hidden gems to share their stories in their own words.

Click here to read the interview »

LogoLounge Features Justen Hong of Visual Lure

Posted on June 25, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

LogoLounge, the world’s premier logo design database and publication, has been featuring members in their Center Stage articles since 2016. Although the series paused in 2019, it recently made a comeback, and I am thrilled to be the third member highlighted this year. The interview delves into various topics, including my personal background, reasons for pursuing design, influences, design aesthetics, and more. I am truly honored to be recognized by such a respected industry resource. Feel free to read the entire article here:

https://www.logolounge.com/articles/center-stage-justen-hong

Rebranding My Favorite Places – Part II: Dairy Haven

Posted on June 21, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

Dairy Haven in Caseyville, Illinois, is my family’s favorite spot for ice cream, with their orange twist cone being my personal favorite. I love everything about Dairy Haven, except for their logo. The current logo appears amateurish, as if a high school art student painted it with incorrect body proportions, uneven lines, and a generally rough appearance (though it does carry some nostalgia).

To improve this, I decided to redraw the logo from scratch. While I aimed to enhance its quality, I wanted to retain the hand-drawn aesthetic to preserve the “mom & pop” charm of the place. I chose a typeface that complements this look, hand-drawn and vintage, reflecting the establishment’s history since the 1950s. Additionally, I created a graphic of the building, which is quite charming and embodies the “All-American” ice cream shop feel that is integral to the experience. Lastly, I redesigned their signage, believing it needed a modern touch.

If you haven’t been there, I highly recommend a visit. Their address is 112 N Main St, Caseyville, IL 62232. You can find more information on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/DairyHaven/

Before & After

Logo Lockups & Additional Brand Elements:

Sample Background Graphic:

T-Shirt Designs:

Banners:

Cup Design Options:

New Sample Sign:

Needs a logo spruced up?

Does your logo have current brand equity, but it doesn’t look great and lacks visual appeal? Does your logo simply need to be cleaned up, refined, or slightly modernized? If so, we can help. Shoot us an email or give us a call today – as we would love to help.

Logo & Packaging for New Healthy Dog Snacks Brand

Posted on June 11, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

DogNosh, an emerging pet brand specializing in dog snacks, enlisted Visual Lure for the development of their new logo and packaging design. As a brand focused on promoting canine health, they expressed a preference for the color green and sought a modern and refreshing aesthetic. Below, we present our initial logo concepts, followed by corresponding packaging designs.

In the top left corner, we present a logotype featuring a custom hand-drawn ‘g’, subtly incorporating a hidden dog face within the ‘og’ combination. The custom ‘g’ in the logo provides a sense of fun and uniqueness, contributing to its memorability.

In the top right corner, we explore a modern condensed logotype, with customized lettering and curved edges strategically placed for added visual interest.

For a touch of playfulness, we developed a logotype in the bottom left corner, where we integrated a dog tail into the letter ‘S’. This whimsical element adds charm while maintaining the brand’s essence.

Lastly, we ventured into more unconventional territory with a design aimed at disrupting the typical visual landscape of dog snack packaging. This concept pushes boundaries to ensure maximum visibility and shelf impact, setting DogNosh apart from mainstream competitors.

Packaging Design Options:

Following the logo exploration phase, we delved into designing packaging options tailored to each prospective logo. This process allowed us to visualize how each logo would translate onto packaging, ensuring coherence and resonance with DogNosh’s brand identity.

Packaging Option 1:

Packaging Option 2:

Packaging Option 3:

Packaging Option 4:

More to come…

Dognash is gearing up to launch four new exciting products in total! Stay tuned to discover which packaging they’ve selected for the first product, and keep an eye out for the unique designs of the remaining three packages.

Need expert branding and package design services?

If you’re on the brink of launching a new product and require expert branding and package design services, look no further than Visual Lure. Contact us today for a FREE quote. Don’t gamble with subpar or novice designers. Ensure your product makes a lasting impression from the start, preventing potential rejections from buyers due to lackluster presentation.

For further insights into our packaging services, explore:

Cleaning Up & Fixing a Logo to One of My Favorite Restaurants

Posted on April 29, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

Mungo’s Italian Eatery, located in Collinsville, Illinois, is one of my family’s favorite restaurants. My wife and I have been patrons since the mid-1990s, and their logo has always bothered me. It appears as though it was cut out with scissors, with messy proportions, inconsistent letter thickness, and improper sizing. So, I took it upon myself to meticulously redraw and refine every aspect by hand.

Here is the before & after:

…and here are some lockups:

…and here are a couple mockups:

Needs a logo spruced up?

Does your logo have current brand equity, but it doesn’t look great and lacks visual appeal? Does your logo simply need to be cleaned up, refined, or slightly modernized? If so, we can help. Shoot us an email or give us a call today – as we would love to help.

New Logo for Private Bar/Lounge Coming to O’Fallon, Illinois

Posted on by JUSTEN HONG

BEYOND is a private, members-only bar/lounge coming to the Blade Building’s 5th floor in O’Fallon, Illinois. The founder described the establishment as follows:

BEYOND isn’t just a haven for the finest cocktails, but a sanctuary where people gather to inspire and be inspired. Our Founding Fathers envisioned BEYOND as a place where people could shed the weight of everyday expectations and dare to dream bigger and reach further. And so, BEYOND lives up to its name, helping its members reach BEYOND their dreams, see BEYOND the possible, and believe in their wildest imagination. Pursue what seems impossible. Go BEYOND.

Here were our initial explorations which were heavily inspired by bourbon logos and labels:

…and here are the final logo lockups. The final logo was inspired by a barrel, but in an abstract/ambiguous way as bourbon, whiskey, and wine all use barrels to age and refine.

…and here are some mock-ups to show how the logo can be implemented:

Logo Upgrade/Revamp for St. Louis Software Company

Posted on February 15, 2024 by JUSTEN HONG

DCSC, Inc. is a St. Louis-based company specializing in warehouse automation and shipping solutions software. Having collaborated with them on custom illustrations for several years, we recently undertook the task of updating and revamping their existing logo.

The previous logo, resembling outdated clipart, suffered from proportionality issues and awkward spacing. The globe icon appeared overly cartoony, featuring peculiar motion marks. Additionally, the logo type required refinement, with uneven spacing and kerning in “DCSC,” an excessively long tagline, and a misaligned service mark.

In response to their desire for a modernized globe, we opted for a more abstract representation, eliminating specific continents. Adhering to their established color scheme of red, blue, and black for sub-brands, we incorporated these hues into the updated logo. The client expressed a preference for increased visual impact while maintaining a sense of movement.

The resulting logo successfully retains the essence of the original design but exudes a newfound vibrancy with the addition of red. Significantly cleaner and more modern, the updated logo addresses all previous spacing and size concerns. The careful redesign achieves a harmonious balance between familiarity and contemporary appeal.