By Karen Long MacLeod

Mark and Caroline Janczak, owners of Critters Pet Shop in St. Charles, Ill., are almost done redesigning their store to convey a much-needed sense of fun and excitement. But their task will not be complete until they revamp their corporate identity system, from logo to in-store signage, to convey the same feelings.

Over the past several months, Mark and Caroline have taken steps to upgrade their store--with the help of two well-known industry consultants, one prominent distributor/wholesaler, 20 leading pet supply manufacturers (and their sales representatives), and the staff of PET AGE magazine. They have a budget of $60,500, including their own minimum $10,000 contribution, and expect to receive products valued at more than $25,000.

In this segment of our year-long series about Critters' redesign, we'll see how a new logo conveys the store's customer-friendly personality, and how logo graphics are carried over into window signage, interior signage and other collateral marketing materials. (Although this series will continue until July 2000, the Janczaks will complete the actual renovation and remerchandising of their store in less time.)

Developing a New Logo  

Critters' original logo, used on business cards and in advertising materials, did nothing to convey the store's special qualities. Its generic-looking animals and nondescript type styles could have been used by any pet store anywhere in the country.

Critters' in-store signage was similarly nondescript. The mismatched assortment included expensive lighted signs provided by manufacturers, promotional signs offered by distributors, plain computer-generated signs and handwritten signs--in various shapes, sizes and colors. They conveyed a feeling of confusion rather than cohesiveness.

After touring the store last spring, project consultants Simon Handelsman of Out of Hand Inc. (Newburyport, Mass.) and Mike McCahill of Retail Store Planning (Roseville, Calif.) agreed that Critters needed a new logo to complement the store's new interior design.

Enter graphic designer Kimberly Meyers Baas, a member of the PET AGE staff when the make-over project began. PET AGE volunteered her services as part of its contribution to the overall project.

"The first step in developing the new logo was visiting the shop itself, seeing what it was like and getting a feel for its strengths, and talking with the owners," she said.

Kim, who visited the store before construction work began, was impressed with Critters' varied selection of pets, as well as the friendly demeanor of the store's employees, who encouraged visitors to touch and hold the animals.

"In developing the new logo, I concentrated on conveying a sense of variety, of friendliness, of a warm atmosphere," Kim said. "I wanted the logo to be simple, and have universal appeal."

Kim submitted three design ideas for the Janczaks' consideration. "The first was very linear and streamlined," she said. "The second was strong yet timeless. The third was very contemporary. In the first and third, I used hand-drawn animals to show all the animal categories."

Mark and Caroline liked the vertical layout of the contemporary design, but fell in love with the outlined animals in the streamlined design. Torn between these options, they wanted to use the contemporary design for banners and employee shirts and the streamlined design for business cards and advertising.

Bad idea, the consultants said. Using two completely different logos would create confusion rather than a unified identity.

Instead, Mark and Caroline decided to combine their favorite elements from the two designs. They asked only that Kim include a dog in the revised design so all six animal categories would be represented.

This was pretty easy to do, Kim said, since the graphic elements were designed on a computer.

After the Janczaks approved the basic design, they had to finalize the colors. They liked Kim's predominantly blue design, which coordinated with the store's new sapphire and sea-colored accents. However, Caroline asked Kim to use a stronger, stand-out color for Critters' name.

The completed logo (see the illustration on page 14) features white outline-style animal characters on a blue field, and the store's name in a bright pink.

"We like the logo a lot," Mark said. "It's modern and sharp-looking."

"It is my hope that the graphics will help bring a unified image to the store, since they will be used in small signs, T-shirts for employees, large signs and ads," Kim said. "It's important to show consistency, and convey a sense that the store is changing to become more user-friendly."

Creating a Signage Plan

Store designers agree that good signage is an important characteristic of any contemporary store.

However, in the midst of construction and holiday preparations, Mark and Caroline couldn't concentrate on devising a strategy for their interior signage. For expert assistance, they called Ken Scott and Charlie Lopp of Wilson Pet Supply (Hanover Park, Ill.), the sponsoring distributor for this project.

The most important concept, Ken and Charlie agreed, is to create a unified image by using graphic elements from the new logo--colors, animal characters and type styles--for in-store signage.

Even though the Janczaks did not plan to replace their exterior lighted sign, they still wanted to enhance their store's curb appeal with signage based on their new logo.

First, Ken suggested using the vertical logo to create two oversize banners, printed on clear plastic, in the windows that flank the store's front doors.

Next, Ken and Charlie suggested lining the bottom edge of the front windows with a horizontal strip featuring all the animal characters from the main logo. This would emphasize the design theme while concealing clutter associated with large products displayed in the front window.

"However, we have to get rid of the vinyl decals and other stuff in the window," Charlie said. "Brand signs [in the front of the store] trash the look. If you can 'theme' the store, you're better off. Keep the front of the store dressed."

Moving to the interior, the Wilson representatives toyed with the idea of hanging animal-specific banners to designate each department. However, they worried that banners would interfere with sightlines and make the store look more cluttered.

That's when Ken came up with the idea of topping the gondolas with 8-inch strips, each featuring a single animal from the main logo. With white characters on blue backgrounds, the strips would not only designate sections, they would add color without creating visual clutter.

To carry the theme still further, Ken suggested using elements from the logo to create blanks for temporary signs. Using these, along with computer software (available through Wilson Pet Supply), the Janczaks can custom-print their own end-cap and promotional signs.

Ordering New Shirts

To present a more professional image and make it easier for customers to identify employees when they need help, Mark and Caroline agreed they needed some type of standard employee apparel. But should they order new T-shirts, new collared shirts, or aprons with pockets?

Mark thought it would be fun to get floral shirts, to tie in with a jungle or Caribbean theme. However, Caroline didn't think the teenage boys working in the store would wear floral shirts. She said they wanted T-shirts.

However, most image experts today are steering employers away from overly casual T-shirts toward comfortable but more businesslike collared shirts, like golf or Polo shirts.

In the end, Mark and Caroline decided all employees would get white Polo shirts emblazoned with the two-color Critters logo on the front breast pocket.

Making (Slow) Progress

When we visited the store in late March, the Janczaks had ordered some of the in-store signs--the full-size banners to flank the front door, the bands to line the bottom of the front windows, the bands to wrap the valance of the kiosk, and one 6-inch-tall departmental sign for the bird gondola. Mark hoped to receive the signs within the week.

The full-size banners are made of a product called Vision. From the outside, the banner looks solid. From the inside, however, it is transparent, so the staff can see customers approaching the store.

Instead of white characters on a blue background, as outlined in the signage plan, Mark and Caroline decided the departmental sign would have white characters on clear acrylic. "We don't want to prevent employees from seeing customers who need help, and we don't want to prevent customers from seeing another product that might interest them," Mark said.

However, they want to seek how the sign looks before they finalize the order for the rest of the departmental signs.

They still must decide how to decorate the floor-to-ceiling kiosk in the center of the sales floor. After they put a vinyl band featuring the animal characters along the top of the valance, they will decide how much--if any--neon trim to order.

They also have to make some decisions about signage for the fish room. Now, the word "fish" is painted in blue letters on the wall above the doorway. Caroline doesn't really like the sign, which doesn't coordinate with the nearby "Puppy Park" sign (see "Labor of Love," March 2000) or the new graphics package. They might replace it with a neon sign, or use the fish character from the main logo.

These are important decisions that must be made now, since the Janczaks are waiting to schedule their formal grand opening until after all the new graphics are in place, Mark said.

"I'm frustrated about the delay," he said. "I thought the signmaker was working on the signs, but I got really busy and didn't call him back to check his progress."

Now that Critters has a dynamic new logo that conveys the store's modern look and customer-friendly personality, how will the Janczaks incorporate it into advertising? What kinds of promotions will they plan in conjunction with their grand opening? And will product sales increase as much as they--and our fearless consultants--hope?

Karen Long MacLeod is editor in chief of PET AGE.