When Classic Chow got in touch with me for a logo, the brief was pretty simple: create something that is wistfully retro, playful, and that speaks directly to the soul of every food lover. This was not just any old freelance logo design project, but an opportunity to bring life into a food truck that sells classic comfort foods with a twist. The client wanted something merging the old-school charisma with a lively, modern feel. Challenge taken.
The Brief
The owner of Classic Chow was clear about his vision, yet open to creative proposals from a freelance logo design specialist such as me. Objective? To design a vintage food truck brand that stands out. Imagine mid-century nostalgia with a splash of fresh colour. The mark had to be playful and inviting, but acknowledge the gritty history associated with the food truck’s origins as an American street food staple.
Key points from the brief included:
Retro but with a lively feel: It should be highly inspired by the 1950s-1970s while being relevant to today’s audience.
Foodies and families alike: It is not all about the food, but rather an experience that would be created at Classic Chow.
Vibrant, colourful, inviting: The logo had to pop on social media or when the truck was to be seen cruising down the street.
I always find that the research phase is important in any freelance logo design project. I delved deep into the realm of vintage food trucks, diners, and signage from the 50s and 60s. Those neon signs, bold typography, soft hues of pastel colours-these set a great base. I wanted to take that retro feel and mould it into something that would also come off fun and inviting for the modern eye.
Watching the competitors in the food truck business, I noticed how many went either super minimalist or over-the-top with a stylized mascot. For my own design process, I went in another direction: not minimalist, but bold; not over-stylized, but whimsical. This was going to be a food truck that really stands out.
Step 2: Concept Development
Once I gathered enough inspiration, it was time to rough out some ideas. First of all, I started playing with the truck itself as the central image. Since the truck is such a big part of Classic Chow’s identity, I wanted it to feature prominently in the design for the logo.
Early sketches went from retro-curve to soft-lined trucks, but what I needed was something that invoked the feeling of both nostalgia and liveness. I went with an illustrated food truck that was quirky, with exaggerated features-playful proportions-giving it a cartoonish yet refined feel.
Typography was next. With the client wanting the text to be striking in the logo, I knew I needed a font that screamed retro and bold to go along with the truck image. After playing around with several fonts, I settled on a script for the “Classic Chow” name to give it some personality. It was bold, rounded, and had a feel of a vintage diner sign, yet clean enough to be legible upon first glance.
Step 3: Color Palette and Final Design
Colour played a huge role in this project. The food truck scene is super vibrant, and Classic Chow needed to pop in busy environments: think food truck rallies, festivals, and city streets. The colour palette needed to be bright and energetic but connect with the vintage theme.
I have chosen a palette driven by retro cars and diner aesthetics: pastel teal, pops of coral and soft purple, with a creamy yellow added to inject some warmth into this palette. The soft, muted tone brings in that mid-century nostalgia, while the bright highlights ensure the design will be noticed.
The logo was a cool, retro food truck illustration in teal, purple, and yellow. The truck has soft edges, big windows, and some of those playful touches, like the too-large front grill, that gives it character. Above it, the “Classic Chow” name is placed in a bold script that’s retro, with a drop shadow to give it some depth and a neon sign-like feel. Below the truck, “Food Truck” is typed out in a more modern sans-serif font to keep up the balance between old and new.
Step 4: Client Feedback and Revisions
The client was thrilled with the first concept-always a good omen. But no freelance logo design process is complete without a round of revisions. They wanted the retro feel, but felt the truck needed a bit more detail in the windows and front grill area. These are the kind of tiny tweaks we always do, and need to do, on just about any freelance logo design project to get the logo just right.
After a few tweaks, we had the final design nailed. It was precisely what the client ordered: to bring nostalgia into this modern world in this perfect logo that is Classic Chow’s brand.
Step 5: Application and Future Use
A logo is not just some image that lives on a website or on social media; it needs to be versatile enough to do quite a few different things. In the case of Classic Chow, their logo needed to work on everything from the side of their food truck and menus to social media and promotional items like T-shirts and stickers.
For flexibility, I provided the logo in a number of file formats and versions. These included: full-colour for online and large prints, a simplified version for smaller prints, and black-and-white versions for single-colour applications. It can be scaled from the size of a business card to the side of a truck and still look great.
The Final Result: A Food Truck That Turns Heads
Classic Chow’s final logo captures the essence of retro charm from a time long forgotten while feeling fresh and exciting for today’s food truck scene. It is vibrant, playful, and oh-so-recognizable-arguably the most important element of a business that relies on being seen, and remembered, out in the world.
This project is a great example of how freelance logo design can help craft an entire brand identity. Classic Chow’s logo isn’t just about looking good; it’s all about storytelling, creating a vibe, and making sure their truck stands out from the rest. And this is where good design comes into play.
Interested in a new logo?
If you’re looking for a freelance logo design that is more than pretty, let’s talk! Whether it’s creating from scratch or revitalising an existing brand, I will work alongside you to deliver a logo that brings your vision into reality, just like I did for Classic Chow.
