Responses by Fritz Klaetke, design director, Visual Dialogue
Background: In essence, The Daily re-invents the local corner store. While corporate supermarkets, convenience store chains and online ordering of essentials aren’t going away, The Daily fills a gap in the market—providing fresh food, prepared take-away, coffee and baked goods in a manageable size to quickly pop in and out, well, daily. And it serves as a friendly, neighborhood connection point for the community.
Reasoning: We felt the brand identity should give shoppers a feeling of a beloved local spot that’s always been there, but is also up-to-date with the times. With the bright, “sunrise” yellow, and script type with a drop shadow, the brand identity straddles this line.
Challenges: So what do we call it? We wanted to project a “fresh and friendly” vibe, perhaps slightly nostalgic, but also contemporary. Quite a challenge, but I think we nailed it with the name The Daily.
Favorite details: It may sound a bit hokey, but I think the round blade sign at the corner of the building gives a feeling of the sun coming up in the morning. For commuters walking up Savin Hill Ave towards the T station in Dorchester, Massachusetts, on their way to work, ideally, it’s a bit of bright optimism to start the day.
Anything new: Working with the sign company and RODE Architects, we managed to hammer out the technical details of how to best attach the illuminated signs to the building skin. Not sexy but key to getting the signage realized as we envisioned it.
Alternative approach: So far, The Daily has been a huge hit, and the owners are fielding inquiries from other developers who would love the same concept in their buildings. As The Daily rolls out and hopefully expands (fingers-crossed), we would love to further extend the brand to all touchpoints—interiors, wall graphics, uniforms, packaging, etc.
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