Gallery
Howard Johnson
- Kiel Wamsley, graphic designer
- Jessica Pelts, instructor
- Branding Principles, courses
- Academy of Art University (San Francisco, CA), student
"Howard Johnson, or HJ, is a chain of hotels and restaurants that has operated for nearly 90 years. They are known for their orange pitched roofs and 28 flavors of homemade ice cream. In the 1950’s, Howard Johnson expanded into motor lodges before eventually expanding into hotels. Since then Howard Johnson has ditched their iconic restaurants and motor lodges. There is only one Howard Johnson restaurant left in existence. When asked to choose an existing brand that needed a makeover I knew I wanted to give this wholesome brand a chance. The solution was to start over: to ditch the orange roofs for a new direction. The two arrows in the new logo form an H. The arrows represent the new directions both Howard Johnson and thier guests are going, the open road, or wherever life is taking them. I felt Howard Johnson needed to still be family oriented while simultaneously paying attention to both business and casual travelers. A part of the new makeover introduced hotel/restaurant hybrids, the return of their supermarket foods, and plenty of frozen ice cream. The project deliveries included a new logo, a style guide, collateral, and product mock-ups for Howard Johnson’s new supermarket foods.”