Sidecar Larry
Sidecar Larry is a sketch comedy group that was in need of branding that would capture their absurd humor but also express a unified commitment to the craft. They were in need of a logo that not only would feel synonymous with the name but could be dynamic enough to be used in the visual medium for promos and credit ID.
01
the logo
This image was largely inspired by John Gilroy's legendary work with Guinness advertisements, specifically the 'fish on a bike'. I had recently toured the Guinness factory in Dublin and was in awe of how these playful images of animals and surreal events perfectly captured the easy and playful feeling of having a beer after a long day. A release of the valve. And that was, in a sense, the mission of the comedy. Give people something they can turn their brain off and enjoy with an exhale at the end of the day. It was important to have the fish veering off to instill the alternative feel of the sketches and also give the image itself some energy. The spiral eyes symbolize the universe and it's cosmic randomness that mysteriously forms patterns for us to discover.
02
the type
I wanted the typeface chosen for the brand to be first and foremost unique so it would be immediately recognizable in merch, promos and designs. I also wanted it to have a Broadway feel so people would get the sense that they were about to see a show. Given the homemade quality of the content at the time, there was some irony here. A small theater company that knew nothing about theater and had no stage, but alas they were going to give you a show. After pouring through many many typefaces I knew right away that Gradoo Gradoo NF expressed what I was looking for and complemented the playfulness of the logo very well, which would be key for pairing the two visuals for promotion.
03
the shirt & color
In this day and age - everyone wants a shirt. It's always a little soul-killing when tasked with merchandise promotion. It was important to me that this wasn't a shirt for a shirt's sake. The writing, production and editing all had artistic-intent with a loose feel, so the shirt should be taken with same approach. Much like the logo I wanted the design to be simple yet intriguing. It was also important that the design didn't take itself too seriously. So we wanted to include some dumb-brain / on-the-nose slogans that would lower the brow and ultimately make it fun for anyone to wear.
​
The color was a lot of trial and error. Plus finding a t-shirt manufacturer that would print the color and not just 'a purple' or 'a pink' was even more of a task. Fortunately, Allied Shirts had the exact dye I was looking for. The color was unique, pleasant on the eyes and could be worn anywhere from a night out, to a hike or just watching TV (hopefully the skits).
04
social icon
With a visually unique logo and striking color, it was easy to make the social icons pop. Always wanting to add layers to a design, just adding a colored circle wasn't enough in my mind, Given that the logo would be displayed on Instagram and Twitter, it's presentation would be small and an important element of the design (the spirals) would be undetectable. It only felt right to include the wonky spiral into the background and add more energy to the visual.
Social links are below.
