BLK TACO SHOP - HOME OF THE HONEY TACOS
Full Branding Initiative & Website Launch
Art Direction
Creative Direction
Branding
Logo Design
Packaging Design
Website Design
Truck Design
Social Media Curation
Chiana Jenell approached us with the thrilling idea of opening her very own taco shop here in Los Angeles in 2020 during the global Covid-19 Pandemic.
Blk Taco is a modern twist on an old classic: the familiar components of a taco that you’ve come to know and love, with an infusion of Black Culture. Savory flavor combinations like honey and turkey, spicy honey and salmon, and BBQ and Mozzarella make for the ultimate taco experience served up with a side of LA vibes. It’s the summer cookout on a Saturday afternoon in your Auntie’s backyard, with the music blasting and tons of laughter. It’s all the special things that make LA home for us: sunshine, palm trees, skating, good food, ice cream trucks, energy, happiness and culture with a hint of 70’s solid gold sparkle.
From frying the shells fresh-to-order in unique oil blends to the very last drizzle of sauce, Blk Taco leaves a mark of food culture that is undeniable. We started with the company name, and then transitioned into the branding, heavily focusing on Black culture and a well curated menu. Then we segued into packaging, merchandise, a fun web presence and finally social media exposure.
PRIMARY LOGO
Chiana wanted to focus on Blk Taco’s signature mascot (the honey bear) having a slightly feminine flare. So we collaborated with LA’s very own top illustrator Deshun (https://www.instagram.com/designbydeshun/) to create something that was unique, soft and memorable. We then deconstructed with letter forms for the words ”Blk Taco” to give it a truly distinguishable typeface and finished off with our tagline “Home of the honey tacos”.
SECONDARY LOGO
TERTIARY LOGO
ALTERNATIVE LOGO
CUSTOM PRIMARY ICON SET
CUSTOM SECONDARY ICON SET
SUPPORTING BRAND PATTERN
Packaging
We started with fun phrases that appealed to our culture like:
”We got drip for sale”
”Once you go BLK”
”For the Culture”
”Certified Taco Lover”
And then proceeded to strategize every single touchpoint for the brand including boxes, bags, grease paper, menus, etc.
STICKER TREATMENTS
MENU DESIGN
GREASE LINER
Truck Design & Signage
We worked with Chiana side-by-side to design a taco truck that was representative of everything LA Culture through a Black lens and then created supporting signage to further enhance the brand. We were strategic with the placement of all artwork and design elements that would make for maximum impact and exposure. We then refined the design with our trucking company to make sure that no artwork was obstructing vents, windows nor doorways.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Apparel & Merchandise
With interjecting our relaxed West Coast vibes into everything we do, we wanted to focus on simple and clean employee uniforms (classic tee and denim) and aprons while incorporating a little Black Girl Magic with accessories like bamboo earrings and classic hairstyles like curls, locs, and afros for the male employees. We then decided to roll out a small collection of merchandise including classic tees in our signature honey cream color and tote bags for women.
Social Media Rollout
The ultimate feeling…home.
We focused on creating social media content that
resonated with our LA customers. From the language
to the visuals, everything had to feel like that
“summer cookout”. We worked on our own lexicon and
translated that to fun quotes and quirky phrases
with a familial undertone.
Results
Blk Taco debuted to the public at its soft launch on August 28th, 2002 with an overwhelming amount of support from its community, cooking upwards of 700 tacos in a 4 hour time block.
Blk Taco has deemed Carson, California as its flagship location operating 3-4 per week.
Within 1.5 months, we were able to grow their Instagram account to an amazing 1,240 active followers with an extremely high engagement level.
Within 2 weeks of debuting, Blk Taco has secured countless events as a vendor around Southern California, most recently Earle’s End of Summer Shop and Skate
Within 2 weeks of debuting, Blk Taco has secured an active partnership with Patron for catering services for their private events.
