The Grumpy Goat

The Grumpy Goat – a Reading based delicatessen selling artisan cheese, beer and spirts – approached us looking for a rebrand ahead of changing to a different business premises in the heart of the city’s quirkiest district. The move prompted a new vision for the brand, one which showcased not only the premium and locally sourced produce, but also captured the personality of the knowledgeable and friendly team who worked behind the counters. So, happy with the existing brand name, the team turned to Glorious to create a design and identity that brought to life their current offering with enough scope to incorporate the potential of a bar, further down the line.

We understood that at a premium price point and gold-standard quality, The Grumpy Goat products needed an identity that reflected a more up-market brand. But we knew we didn’t want this to make the outputs feel unapproachable or exclusive. This meant that creating a character in the grumpy goat himself was essential, making this hairy, horned mascot the embodiment of what the brand represents.

After discussing the brand values at length with the client, our team developed three distinct options for the grumpy goat, along with the corresponding assets such as typography, logos and iconography. Each iteration was playful and loaded with a personality that translated how the brand wanted to come across to their customers.

Deliberating which best suited the style of the company and its workforce, landed the client at the first option; a well-dressed, suited and booted goat in a pointillism illustration style. The delicatessen owners felt that this contemporary design was the best amalgamation of both premium and playful.

From there, we worked on a full characterisation of the fury frontman – understanding who he was, what he wore and his role in the company, in order to give a robust and well-thought-out brand identity that could be translated into a number of different marketing outputs.

The Tone of Voice and messaging style also began taking on the personality, and we gave the client a starter pack of puns and cheeky social posts which delivered the brand the identity they were looking for. Once approved, we rolled this new brand out across a new website, a fleet of delivery vans, tote bags and even the staff uniforms.

The client was thrilled to meet their tweed-clad grumpy goat, and he now represents the best-quality gorgonzola the South East has to offer.