Pals Mushrooms
Pals is a fully sustainable organic mushroom farm in Portland, Oregon. Their goal is to provide healthy, locally grown food that people can feel good about purchasing and eating. We live in a world where science has given us an abundance of food. Years of agricultural practice along with advances in biochemistry have allowed us to maximize yields. But at what cost? Many ask this question as we are understanding more about the collective effects that modern large-scale agriculture has had on our environment. Folks are beginning to recognize a diminished quality in the foods we eat and the possible ill effects it may have on our health. Pals, while still embracing the benefits of science, seeks to return to nature and deliver a superior mushroom free of all those negative trappings.
As a new farm on the scene, Pals wanted to stand out from the handful of other mushroom businesses locally. They wanted to be bold and professional, yet inviting and fun. Ganyoon chose to go with a completely hand-rendered logo to achieve that organic look. We wanted something immediately identifiable with the hands-on business of farming. For this reason, the brown and beige color palette was chosen to reflect soil and the subtle lighter off-white hues we associate with mushrooms. A well-defined drop shadow was used to really make those four characters “PALS” pop off the page. Since Pals mostly focuses on the sale of oyster mushrooms, line-art illustrations reminiscent of stylish renderings you would find in old scientific texts was added as a visual hook. All these elements are framed by a mostly round, yet asymmetrical wavy shape similar to a mushroom when viewed from directly above.
Early drafts were first done in pencil before being traced in ink. The inked version was next scanned into the computer and cleaned up in Photoshop. That was ultimately converted to vector art in Illustrator where it was even further refined to achieve the final form.
Since starting the company, Pals has managed to establish themselves as a key mushroom provider in Portland, OR. Besides many direct sales to eager customers with discerning taste, restaurants, food trucks, and grocery stores have been key to disseminating Pals around town. The logo can be seen on delivery bags, buttons, signs, and stickers. Folks are excited about this product and are enthusiastic to spread the word about a good thing.