Bien Chivos

Role: Branding, Logo Design, Apparel Design
Year: 2006

Background

Bien Chivos was a (short-lived) lifestyle brand inspired by the proud and rich traditions of Latin America. My former business partner and I were both avid soccer fans, travelers, and Spanish speakers (¡Él mucho más que yo!), and we noticed that most if not all of the brands catering to Latin and South American subject matter were low brow, low quality, and in some cases, downright patronizing. Between us, we had a shared appreciation for the cultures, a design background, an e-commerce platform, and a few contacts willing to listen. From that, the brand and a desire to address an underserved market was born. While we trademarked the logo, put together a catalog and made a few sales, our side project sadly succumbed to other priorities.

RESULTS

Branding

In searching for a name, we wanted something that was colloquial, friendly, and spoke to the cultures it represented, but obscure enough to stand apart from competitors. We did a ton of research, interviewing friends, and friends of friends, to both farm ideas and gauge reactions to candidates in the running. Given that the nuance of word meanings from country to country, it proved difficult to find something that suited our needs while universally avoiding overly negative connotations.

We settled on the phrase "bien chivos", which directly translates to "good goats", but is used in some cultures to refer to "good  people" or "cool guys".

Logo Design

I wanted Bien Chivos to have a visual representation that evoked tradition, pride, strength, and athleticism. To achieve that, I put together an homage to the great football club crests of the world, featuring two sleek goats rampant and a banner reading "Orgullo" (translated: Pride). Other elements include the star, used in many flags of Latin America, sitting in the absence created by goat's legs that creates a silhouette reminiscent of the towers of historical landmarks such as Castillo San Cristóbal.

Apparel Design

Our catalog featured collections based on the flags of nations, as well as political and sports figures. Unfortunately, those designs were all tragically lost in the days before the easily accessible cloud. See below for some examples of how we applied the parent brand.