Welcome To The Gin Ignite Podcast

Whether you want to party or have a quiet night in gin will ignite

News

• Hello and Welcome to Episode 13
• Today I am chatting with Ian Paget from Logo Geek
• Ian started Logo Geek in 2011 initially designing logos for friends on the side of his job as a Creative director and went part time 3 years ago. March full time
• Ian has been featured in logo lounge, photoshop creative and net magazine and has been on the jury for design awards including transform awards, best brand award and visual identity awards to name few.
• Thank you very much for the kind words from The Edge Gin after my Peartini Up post
• @glassofgin_packetofseeds who said she liked watching my Instagram stories.
• @Tristan.jorgensen_ made me laugh over the weekend when he just came up with a cocktail out of the blue, except it was orange Burrells Breeze
• @girls_on_gin got to 3000 followers which is just amazing.
• @theginlord - Thank you sir for your candid remarks on Instagram and for you guidance on how we should all behave. It was much needed and I can't thank you enough for your intervention.
• I am starting very soon a service to help businesses get their voices out to a wider community.
• If anyone is interested in working with me helping them to design a podcast, a voice over or help designing a campaign then please get in touch.

Gin Recommendation

• Weekly Gin Recommendation is Whitley Neill Quince
• I have been a fan of Whitley Neill for a long time. Although my palette is changing towards small batch gins and their amazing flavours I still have not found anyone that makes quince gin. 
• It is the quintessential English fruit that even many people in the UK have not heard of. Quince looks like a cross between an apple and a lemon and is usually served in a jelly form to have on your morning toast.
• The nose of the gin is unmistakably Quince with an alcoholic undertone.
• The palette profile starts with an initial sweet taste which tapers off into just quince. This is followed by a bit of heat and finally you get to the juniper at the back end.
• I would serve this with a light tonic standard or Mediterranean and I am very partial to it now after the suggestion from @elliebee30 to having it with Elderflower.
• A stronger tonic would destroy the flavour in my opinion. This would be great in cocktails. I am not quite sure whether it would work as a dry martini because I think the flavour is a little too sweet.
• It is also nice just as a sipping gin. So much so I think I will have another !!!

Ian Paget from Logo Geek

How did you get into design ?

• Always into art and won lots of competition at school
• Worked at print finisher company
• Wanted to do the stuff on the computer
• Told needed to go to university
• Worked at medical company at warehouse and got moved to team where some graphic design
• After 5 years was quite experienced designer
• Then went to web design agency and became creative director

Logo Geek

• Worked on iPhone game
• Finished this project and wanted to stop
• Stopped for about 2 weeks and then partner at the time said why don’t you do logos
• Started blogging about logos and posting things that had found on the internet
• Built community
• Created podcast
• Pretty good for someone who is self taught to be asked to do the Cambridge University logo

Went part time

• Demanding role as creative director
• Decided had to give up either Logo Geek or Job
• Did not want give up logo geek
• Mum passed away and decided that did not want to regret not doing anything
• Handed in notice and would work part time.
• Keep stability of part time job

Went Full Time

• Had baby. Going to work but partner would send pictures but not the same. Felt missing out
• Felt like in Creative Director job was not doing something of significance
• Felt like right time to leave.
• Had leads coming in for Logo Geek
• January this year handed in notice and went full time with Logo geek in March.

What factors would you consider when setting up a brand ?

• Brand - a folder in your mind. Collection of memories of a company. Can’t control it but can influence it.
• Brand Identity - packaging, illustrations, event, marketing materials, logo, story, advertising. Described as touch points. Gin is the whole bottle
• Use Social media - manage meaning
• Stand out from competition = branding. Branding is the art of differentiation
• If no branding how would you pick the one you want if all gins looked the same
• Packaging on the shelf differentiates you from others.

Need to have understanding how you want to come across to your audience

• 1. Who do you want to be as a gin / instagram account - location, heritage, special story
• 2. Direct Competition - when creating identity. You need to look different to someone else. Need to know which gin / instagram account is yours.
• 3. Who you are planning to target - who are you targeting to drink your gin / posts. Pin-point specific type of people age group / someone who likes a particular product.
• You can work out the types of images that you want to use
• Share images of gin being made
• Could share images of how it used to be made
• Create old fashioned photos with how it is made
• Tell your story through images and video
• Share experience of the story not just glass and bottle
• Apple logo identify company and associations come from that. This is how a logo develops over time through use and association
• Once create story then you can differentiate yourself

Who are you targeting ?

• Type of gin to target to a very young audience people in early 20s → Images young, fun and punchy
• Student images bright images in a nice club. bold. Different bottle shape Colourful
• Type of gin which would attract people really into gin who have real understanding. Give it a bit of legacy. Packaging feels like around for a long time. One of the originals
• Make video how it gin is made. Image style completely different
• Old one bottle made in old way. Packaging looking in older one
• Create a mood board. Pinterest
• All about differentiation

Mont CervGin

• For the purposes of this episode I have come with a made up brand.
• Create gin brand for distillery based in Zermatt, Switzerland
• Perfect mountain town with mountains all around and snow.
• Gives you feeling of happy, joyous and calm.
• Dominstated by mountain called the Matterhorn, the one on all the Toblerone bars.
• In French it is called Mont Cervin
• I am changing this to Mont CervGin.
• Village wants to serve UK gin market and the mountain wants to serve gin (Mont CervGin !!)

Ians response to my brief

• Initial brief. Need to understand as much as can.
• Understand about the gin. London Dry Gin mixed with Cherries.
• Cherries change the brief. Distillery in Switzerland
• Initially just start website but then ideally move to other channels like Waitrose / Sainsburys then Europe and US

Where and how people would see it ?

• Understand as much as I can about business, gin, competition
• Need to know competition so don’t create similar identity
• Always trying to differentiate
• Understand type of person who want to target
• Core gin drinker. Someone like small batch gin. Clean tasting gin work well with mixologists etc
• Put information into bullet points and get to sign off to confirm it is correct
• Working towards target which based on the information
• Everyone looks at it objectively
• Needs to speak to the right people.

Once initial brief agreed need to create mood board / stylescape

• Create mood board or style scape
• Include:-
• Images which communicate everything spoken about
• Images Swiss towns and Zermatt
• Mountains
• Snow
• Calmness
• Packaging examples might represent this brand
• Pull together cherry images
• Pull together image from any source
• Provides extra clarity
• Stylescape fonts images image of persona want to attract also colours
• Some companies might do a couple. Worth getting down on paper.
• Create something have reference point
• Create something new based on that reference point

Hard to find good graphic designer.

• Not like hiring electrician
• Look at work done before. If you like the look and feel what they have done go with them
• For gin packaging you may require an illustrator as well as designer
• Loads of platforms like fivr but don’t know the experience of that person
• Important to do research properly.
• Make sure work in portfolio is there own work
• If understand competition then know whether going to infringe trademarks.
• Good designer will factor that in.
• Once identity created then should obtain trademark, websites and respective social media accounts

How to contact Ian Paget

• Learn more https://logogeek.uk
• Twitter https://twitter.com/logogeek
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/logogeek/
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/LogoGeek/

What is your favourite gin packaging and how would you improve it ?

Hendricks

• Liked bottle shape.
• 1950’s kind of style
• Gave impression for more experienced gin drinker

Lone Wolf

• Cool wolf illustration
• Gave impression more younger vibe

Winchester Dry Gin

• Stunning bottle.
• King Arthur round table basis for logo.
• Smaller label with monogram.
• Cork is engraved has pattern.
• Designers taken photo of patterns and textures.
• Improvements to Packaging - simplify a bit.
• Lots of very tiny details.
• From distance be able to distinguish between lines

What do logos mean to you ?

• Quite journey last 8 years.
• Never planned Logo Geek to be what it is now. Community , podcast and book always design.
• Always something new.
• Passion for logos.
• Fascinating topic and always buying books on the topic
• Logos fascinate.
• Integral part of society.

Gin Community Shout Out

• Lot of markets starting to open up.
• Chatted to a few distilleries who have started going to them.
• Please support distilleries and buy from them as much as you can
• Harrogate gin has been popping up all over the place
• Tiger gin has been making me laugh with some hilarious posts. I loved the one with the cat which says when you were drinking tea but wish it was gin

Instagram Community Shout Out

• This weeks Instagram shout out is @glassofgin_packetofseeds
• She says she gets scared with lives but she seem to have done load now. The last one with Dundee had a few technical difficulties but she coped very well
• Loved her live with @Tristan_jorgensen_ and with @otterbeckdistillery
• Loved her post on the porn star martini
• The post on the marriage of two gins from Massignberd Mundy was great. Really loved the story she told.
• Sad that she has had to give up her passion of rugby but glad this has been replaced running after her two girls, who look absolutely delightful.
• Not quite sure how she manages to fit everything in with her two girls as well as gardening and gin
• Hoping to see her next live. She has just announced this after I recorded that it is going to be with @Tristan.jorgensen_.

Get In Contact

• IM me at @ginignite Instagram or @ginignite on Twitter
• E-Mail me at [email protected]
• If you have ideas IM me or e-mail at [email protected]
• If you want to be on the show then IM me or e-mail me at [email protected]

Final Thought

• The thing that I like about the gin community that I have met so far is that no one judges anyone for what they believe, what they look like or who they choose to be.
• The world would be a better place if everyone took that view.
• Grab your drink, toast those you love, enjoy your weekend and whether your decide to party or stay in I will be with you in spirit !!!
• Seriously though enjoy your weekend and I look forward to joining you for another episode next Friday.
• Cheers