Logo | Branding | Website | Advertising | Packaging | Collateral | Etc.

Dennis “DennyMike” Sherman started out with a successful barbecue restaurant in Old Orchard Beach, Maine producing sauces for use in the restaurant. Based on the local popularity of the sauces, he eventually decided to close the restaurant and focus on bringing the sauces to market. DennyMike’s approached Pulp+Wire to help brand, package, create a suite of sales, POP materials and launch both the sauce line and his new line of barbecue spice rubs.

While brainstorming art direction for the logo, brand graphics and package graphics, we decided to shy away from the universal BBQ imagery of burnt wood and fire. Instead, we examined the use of bright colors, a light illustrative style and caricature elements that would ensure DennyMike’s unique personality shine through and stand out on the shelf in a highly competitive market sector. On the packaging side of the process, we explored pieces that were not only visually and texturally engaging for the consumer, but also feasible from a production standpoint. DennyMike’s is a handcrafted producer, and we understood that every touch on the production line cost money and every cent counts.

The result was a line of bright spice tins and sauce flasks that are impactful and visually arresting, while also emphasizing the product through glass and clear cut-away windows.

Since implementing this packaging, DennyMike’s ‘Cue Stuff has doubled its retail footprint and is ever-expanding into new markets. The line has won a number of awards for packaging in design competitions and also in national-level barbecue competitions, including the National Barbecue News Annual “Best of the Best” competition sponsored by Burger King.

Further efforts have included the creation of Point of Purchase materials that have earned the products favorite spots in retail outlets, an interactive e-commerce solution, supply chain and labeling support, the creation of a mobile site, advertising and a host of other collateral and promotional materials.