Our Client

El Rio became a fixture in Stevenson's dining scene since the 1990s. In 2011, we were contacted by Joe Schlick, a friend and fellow musician who owned the joint, to reimagine the logo.

Our Concept

The concept was essentially already there—a Zia sun symbol used on the New Mexican state flag was in common use inside the restaurant. It helped express the Southwestern influences of the drinks and fare. El Rio is Mexican, but also decidedly American in its culinary product. There was initially a push toward the neon designs one can find in the Southwest, and that informed our use of type. The zia used to contain the logotype was then stylized to match.