Surviving Minnesota!

[KlopKlop]

I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

Our farm is called 'Whistling Dixie Farms' and is named after our Black and Tan coonhound Dixie, hence the hound dog in the picture. We will be adding some kind of text to it, still deciding what it should look like though. We sell eggs year round and broiler chickens in the summer. We sell at a farmers market here in town all spring/summer/fall and sell other ways over the summer

 

[lvie]

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So what I am understanding is that the Whistling Dixie Farms will be imprinted on the dog silhouette - right? And that this branding will be imprinted on each egg carton and on the label for each broiler chicken. Is this correct? So then you will be adding your product, name again, address or location and telephone number plus web site (if you have one) or e-mail address to the side of the brand and imprinting it on business cards and a sign - even if it is a cutesy wood sign that you make (like out of pellet boards pounded to a frame in back of them) to hang at a Farmers Market? I would be attracted to a cutesy sign hanging out side your booth. Is it possible to get a picture of Dixie with a chicken (or more chickens) hanging on her, or perhaps you already have one? Enlarge it, frame it and post it also. It could go on a Frame that sits on the ground and just holds that picture under the hanging brand sign off the top of your booth. The story will draw people into your booth. Everyone loves dogs and if you have puppy pictures of Dixie and then pictures of her as she grows - not an album - just half dozen in a picture frame (can't think of the name - darn! the frame that holds alot of pictures but each picture is separated by a frame - approx 16 x 20 or horizontal) with the short story of how and why you came to be - that would attract alot more people. Plus they would tell others - "we get our eggs at the Farmers Market from the guy with the hound dog. We like him because ....."

 

[lvie]

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I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

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I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

Ahhhh - now I see that dog is a hound dog. Move the chick back more - above the joint of the back legs - about a quarter of an inch and don't let the tail of the dog and chicken touch but make it look like they are fitting together (maybe it will subliminally suggest continuity or oneness). Then in the upper two corners maybe try aligned the lines going across with contact information - like Dixie is looking at it. To humor me try it with some chicken wire behind the whole silhouette - faded out - not 100% saturated black.

I feel so bossy. I like the idea. Its just that many playing with it will yield what you want and it may be that you will want that roo just exactly where you placed it so save each change and number them.

She won't be a cock-hound (LOL) once you add your name to the dog - I think. Perhaps. Maybe. Its all play.

 

[lvie]

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I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

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I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

Ahhhh - now I see that dog is a hound dog. Move the chick back more - above the joint of the back legs - about a quarter of an inch and don't let the tail of the dog and chicken touch but make it look like they are fitting together (maybe it will subliminally suggest continuity or oneness). Then in the upper two corners maybe try aligned the lines going across with contact information - like Dixie is looking at it. To humor me try it with some chicken wire behind the whole silhouette - faded out - not 100% saturated black.

I feel so bossy. I like the idea. Its just that many playing with it will yield what you want and it may be that you will want that roo just exactly where you placed it so save each change and number them.

She won't be a cock-hound (LOL) once you add your name to the dog - I think. Perhaps. Maybe. Its all play.

Quote:

Quote:
I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

Quote:

Quote:
I like the silhouette - I just dunno what it means. Are you breeding dogs and chickens, just selling eggs? What is it you will do on your farm that you want to sell? My disclaimer: its the past marketing career that brings the questions out in me.

Ahhhh - now I see that dog is a hound dog. Move the chick back more - above the joint of the back legs - about a quarter of an inch and don't let the tail of the dog and chicken touch but make it look like they are fitting together (maybe it will subliminally suggest continuity or oneness). Then in the upper two corners maybe try aligned the lines going across with contact information - like Dixie is looking at it. To humor me try it with some chicken wire behind the whole silhouette - faded out - not 100% saturated black.

I feel so bossy. I like the idea. Its just that many playing with it will yield what you want and it may be that you will want that roo just exactly where you placed it so save each change and number them.

She won't be a cock-hound (LOL) once you add your name to the dog - I think. Perhaps. Maybe. Its all play.

ORRRR - Take the cock off, leave the hound on. Put the chicken wire behind Dixie, run your information across the top, put the farm name on Dixie, list your product between her legs. Therefore, the dogs name is Dixie, hence the Dixie; and she comes when you whistle; so Whistle Dixie or Whistle and Dixie will come and then Farm that has eggs and boilers for sale (the chicken wire.) Whatever. I am done - shutting off the creativity.

 

[KlopKlop]

ORRRR - Take the cock off, leave the hound on. Put the chicken wire behind Dixie, run your information across the top, put the farm name on Dixie, list your product between her legs. Therefore, the dogs name is Dixie, hence the Dixie; and she comes when you whistle; so Whistle Dixie or Whistle and Dixie will come and then Farm that has eggs and boilers for sale (the chicken wire.)  Whatever. I am done - shutting off the creativity. 

Your market design prowess is on fire! I like it! Haha you have some great suggestions.
I will have to try some of these things and see if we like them. I don't have any advanced editing software (Adobe, etc) nor the skill set to use them but I am computer savvy so I'm sure I can figure something out. We have been trying to be 'cutesy' and 'rustic' looking without going full on hipster. Here is a photo of my DW selling at a winter market at the local eagles club in December. I have made a few wooden signs we hand painted and set on some easels I made. I've also made a few chalkboards this winter to use as well with barn wood frames.

We knew we needed to work on our branding a bit when a few weeks ago someone contacted us to buy eggs. She buys at the farmers market but we hadn't heard from her since it ended last fall. Our name and contact info is on all our egg cartons but she had lost it and she only knew us as 'the free range egg people from the farmers market' we decided that in the least we need a sign at our booth with our name and then came the logo design after that.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

I like all of your ideas too Ivie. I suggested the dog whistling music notes...because not everybody would make the "Whistling Dixie Farm" Leap not knowing the dog's name.

I think also on your packaging put on your social media icons: People looking to find more information on your farm will be reassured its worth the effort to search you out on facebook, instagram, twitter what have you. You can make them simplistic in Black and white to go with the Black and white logo.

If I'm interested in a product...I'm generally wanting more information so I'm looking on social media if I see the icons under the product name.

 

[Bogtown Chick]

 

[KlopKlop]

I like all of your ideas too Ivie.  I suggested the dog  whistling music notes...because not everybody would make the "Whistling Dixie Farm" Leap not knowing the dog's name. 

I think also on your packaging put on your social media icons:  People looking to find more information on your farm will be reassured its worth the effort to search you out on facebook, instagram, twitter what have you.   You can make them simplistic in Black and white to go with the Black and white logo.

If I'm interested in a product...I'm generally wanting more information so I'm looking on social media if I see the icons under the product name. 

I must have missed your post. Or just read past... It's been a hectic day. Anyways, my first logo design was a silhouette of a howling hound with notes just like you suggest but the base image of the dog is copyrighted and we can't figure out if we can get rights to use it or not and we haven't found any others we like. That's when we moved to this idea playing in the common image of a chicken on a pig on a cow or whatever.

Our cartons have our farm name, a photo of our chickens, a brief description of our eggs, then our names, address, phone, etc as required by law. Then we print out a sticker that goes on each carton directing them to our Facebook page (no dedicated site yet)

 

[lvie]

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Yeah! I like it! Specially the chicken on the farm fresh eggs and the burlap table covering. I was thinking more of a busy-market where you wanted some bling. Still, developing more over time is sooooo perfect. And with you and your DW craftsy skills it will be great. You could make your large sign - however large you want that to be - back it with chicken wire - so its the pellet wood covered with chicken wire with another wood (if it isn't getting too heavy) with the brand on it and then screwed to the back piece of wood. BETTER YET - Make a frame and then cover it with the chicken wire. Suspend the brand with hooks from the frame. Then make a T frame with 2 x 4's as a base and suspend the whole brand sign with in that. So when at a market you would put up the stand, fit the support frame with the hooks to suspend the brand frame - separate pieces, quick set up, good to go anywhere. Besides, people will look for you by your brand. Stick something on this support that you can slip a weather vane or some tall 'farm' think in it so it sticks up about the heads of those walking around. Add a porcelain Roo to your table - get it on the cheap and then use it as a candy dish with those easter egg malted milk balls in them as a marketing ploy. Stock up on them and throw them in the freezer. Or the little marshmallow cheeps. I dunno. Over time - all over time to attract more customers as you grow. But definitely be working on the story to suck people into your personal environment. Good as conversation when they look at the pictures. LOVE that burlap. Bigger piece ragged along the front so it hangs over the table. Boy - Would I love to get ahold of that and border it with quilted flag designs because you would be patriotic and back to the healthy life style America was created on and people love that stuff. Where do you live? LOL.

 

[lvie]

Quote:
Yeah! I like it! Specially the chicken on the farm fresh eggs and the burlap table covering. I was thinking more of a busy-market where you wanted some bling. Still, developing more over time is sooooo perfect. And with you and your DW craftsy skills it will be great. You could make your large sign - however large you want that to be - back it with chicken wire - so its the pellet wood covered with chicken wire with another wood (if it isn't getting too heavy) with the brand on it and then screwed to the back piece of wood. BETTER YET - Make a frame and then cover it with the chicken wire. Suspend the brand with hooks from the frame. Then make a T frame with 2 x 4's as a base and suspend the whole brand sign with in that. So when at a market you would put up the stand, fit the support frame with the hooks to suspend the brand frame - separate pieces, quick set up, good to go anywhere. Besides, people will look for you by your brand. Stick something on this support that you can slip a weather vane or some tall 'farm' think in it so it sticks up about the heads of those walking around. Add a porcelain Roo to your table - get it on the cheap and then use it as a candy dish with those easter egg malted milk balls in them as a marketing ploy. Stock up on them and throw them in the freezer. Or the little marshmallow cheeps. I dunno. Over time - all over time to attract more customers as you grow. But definitely be working on the story to suck people into your personal environment. Good as conversation when they look at the pictures. LOVE that burlap. Bigger piece ragged along the front so it hangs over the table. Boy - Would I love to get ahold of that and border it with quilted flag designs because you would be patriotic and back to the healthy life style America was created on and people love that stuff. Where do you live? LOL.

Oh! that support for your brand could be made to fit on the table so you are taking up an 8-foot space instead of four. Do you have to pay for the space and does the price depend on how much space you want? Or is it free?