Dixon Rye

Branding, Naming, Web, Packaging, Environmental, Pattern
2015

Dixon Rye is a store for interiors, wares, and design in Atlanta founded by Bradley Odom. A sophisticated retail brand in the city’s Westside providing an intentional assortment of heritage-quality home goods — a place to “buy better, fewer things.”

Together with the Dixon Rye team, we collaborated on naming, strategy, messaging, and the overall experience of store signage and retail packaging. And, of course, we also defined a stunning and fitting visual identity system for this new brand.

The logotype is a custom demi-serif typeface, uniquely mixing sans- and slab-serifs. The mix of old and new echoes the raw and refined aesthetic with playfulness while remaining decidedly modern.

Dixon's Rye rich navy insists a brand that is trustworthy – and is complemented by gold, brass, and silver in various applications. The brand takes inspiration from Southern literaries, especially the figure Atticus in Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, and this is seen in a vintage, etched feather that becomes a brand icon. The feather is also integrated into a custom floral pattern adorning packing tissue and business cards.

A hand holding out the navy blue Dixon Rye bag
Blue retail bags in three sizes
Three sizes of blue Dixon Rye bags with tissue paper

The letterforms are raised from the navy blade sign, with the knockout left behind serving as a window to white lights that shine bright from behind the lettering at night.

Dixon Rye's store bag on a wooden staircase
1085 Howell Mill metal numerals on the white brick wall
The custom floral pattern tissue paper beside the navy blue bag
Custom Dixon Rye gold foil match boxes with "Quiet Decency" script letters on the back
Gold foil match box in navy in front of Astier de Villatte candle
Dixon Rye matchbox next to incense holder

“There are two qualities that are imperative for the growth and development of any type of aesthetic presentation. The first is the integrity of both parties involved. The second is an absolute awareness of what the goal is of both parties involved. My goal as a sensitive, creative person is to always present those qualities in the forefront of everything that represents Dixon Rye.

Russell Shaw embodies that same vision, integrity and presentation. He listens, hears, and produces. Russell understood the vision from the very beginning and enhanced it through his ability to create on-brand materials. Russell guided us through a process that resulted in a brand that commands your attention from the first glimpse of the wordmark, to the packaging you leave with after purchasing at Dixon Rye.”

— Bradley Odom
Founder, Dixon Rye

Dixon Rye metallic gold and navy business card designs with custom floral pattern and feather on the back
Gold metallic edge paint along navy blue business cards
Custom branded floral and feather pattern on the back of the business cards in gold
Up close detail of the metallic gold pantone edge paint

The business cards use French Paper's Nightshift Blue with a metallic gold Pantone screen-printed application of the logo to the front and the custom pattern to the back. The front's information is screen-printed in white ink. The sides are edge-painted with the same metallic gold ink.

The hang tags use a metallic, champagne-tinted silver which is screen-printed onto the front and back of Neenah Classic Crest Solar White 130lb paper stock (the Solar White lets the logo shine through the light colored background). Unique, one-of-a-kind found objects are marked with an "Antique" stamp in the store.

Dixon Rye metallic pantone store hang tags
Antique rubber stamped on retail store tag
Small square metallic pantone hang tags
Dixon Rye Antiques stamped on hang tag
Dixon Rye logo rubber stamp
Gold wax seal for Dixon Rye antiques on a metallic hang tag

Credits

Client
Dixon Rye (Bradley Odom): dixonrye.com

Art Director, Designer, Illustrator
Russell Shaw

Photographers 
Anthony-Masterson, Lacey Sombar, Sarah Dorio

Production Partners
Mama's Sauce, City Paper Company, Andrew Crawford Ironworks / Iron Is King, Atlas Match, ASAP Signs Marietta, Simon's Stamps

(Special thanks to Steven Fessey, Brad Friedman, Emily DelMarco, Andrew Crawford, Alicia Jenkins, Randy Thompson, and Kevin Ray.)

Awards

2016 Regional Design Awards Winner (Print Magazine)

2016 Silver ADDY Award  (Atlanta Advertising Club). Integrated Brand Identity Campaign.

2016 American Package Design Award (GDUSA, New York)

Branding Served: Feature

 

In Print

Print Magazine's Regional Design Annual, December 2016. The South.

GDUSA‘s 2016 American Package Design Awards Annual (GDUSA).

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