Mission Statement to Color Selection – Every Decision Has Meaning
“Provide fuel for success that motivates, comforts and inspires people to achieve their goals and better the world around them.”
Mission Statement
When I tell people that I am starting my own mobile coffee bar from a converted horse trailer they are alight with questions. How do I best to describe The Traveling Pheasant and distill its essence down to one sentence? That ever-daunting mission statement, I will admit, was months in the making and took an entire day to assemble.
Throughout the process of constructing the business plan, I needed to keep in mind why I was doing this and ask myself why customers would want to buy coffee from me when there are countless other options? What value does The Traveling Pheasant offer in order to stand out?
Any company or brand is not only selling a physical product or service, they are selling an emotion, an experience, a personality and an ideal.
For me and The Pheasant, it is not just about selling delicious hand-crafted, flavor infused, thoughtfully presented coffee – but about why people drink coffee. My answer was motivation, inspiration and connection.
The healthcare worker facing a 12-hour shift.
That parent taking care of their family while completing a degree by night.
The entrepreneur with a side hustle to get off the ground.
The policy maker working to pass laws and make the world a better place.
The inventor and scientist looking for the breakthrough.
The weekend crafter bringing their next DIY project to life.
Old friends catching up after too long apart.
A first date with someone that could be “the one”
All motivated, inspired and connected by coffee.
I wanted to make The Traveling Pheasant a place where people come for a perfect hand-crafted coffee that is the fuel to achieve their goals and to connect with others. It just so happens that place is a uniquely decorated converted horse trailer turned mobile coffee bar!
Mood Board
My design process started with Pinterest and creating a virtual mood board. I pinned images of architecture, kitchens, bathrooms, furniture, clothing and color combinations. All of the images, to me, had calming yet energetic green and blue tones, plants, marble, slate, gold and silver.
The aesthetic is best described as putting a Parisian café and an English/Scottish country estate into a blender. Pulling elements of both styles to form a cohesive, new “uniquely me” look was a complicated balance. In my post about founding The Pheasant I mentioned that I struggle, quite severely, with decision making on things like this. It is not a commitment thing – its having the background to know that when you make choices, you are creating that first impression of your brand, capturing the right target audience and knowing that you can’t just change your name without risking loosing followers and SEO in the process.
Deciding whether or not the pheasant in the logo is static or moving, the adjective chosen in the name and the font style are all cues for customers to view and interpret. The slightest changes can alter the personality and mood of a brand in their mind whether they are aware of it or not.
My struggle with decisions is about the pressure to get it right. I know that nothing can ever be perfect on the first go around, no matter how much you plan. I have to remind myself that by planning, weighing all considerations and having a defined strategy will best produce something that you all love, follow and keep coming back to. Elements will of course morph with time as all companies do – but at the launch, I hope that I get it right!
Name
From the moment I decided to start a mobile coffee bar, I started brainstorming names. Although in my mind I had always had a name, I was not sold on it for a mobile business. I still have that original name up my sleeve for future plans, but for now, I decided to shelf it.
After much deliberation and using my family as a sounding board, I landed on the pheasant idea for two reasons. First, because I have always loved them! It has to do with their colors and the way they walk makes my heart happy. Secondly, because they remind me of the UK where I once lived and studied, and still have a great affection for.
Deciding on the adjective for the pheasant also involved careful consideration. There were three contenders, each that invoked different emotions and perceptions. Torn between a word that I felt connected to the mission of fostering success and the one we know today, I decided on “traveling” for three reasons:
It was just too perfect for a mobile business!
It has the connection to my life’s passion - traveling around the world experiencing new things and learning new cultures. So far, I have been fortunate enough to have visited 23 countries and I can't wait to experience more!
I have an old time love for postcards and am overjoyed to be able to incorporate them into the brand. (Hint, hint: stay tuned!)
Logo
I had such a fun time sketching out our pheasant friends! They emerged with such a cute character and happy personality!
Again, I was between two decisions and agonized over which to choose:
motion or static.
The flying pheasant has movement and action. It connects with “traveling” in the brand name, suggests progress, motivation and success.
The standing pheasant resonates calm and contentment. A peaceful break from the day’s tasks to reconnect with yourself and others, to recharge and greet the world anew.
Both of these embody The Traveling Pheasant. Perhaps my lesson is that we do not need to categorize ourselves into one box. We all have various stages of emotion and sometimes all at once! Therefore, I made the unconventional decision to use both. In an effort to ease brand identity confusion, I will use them in equal measure and in connection with products, articles and updates that relate to the corresponding message/emotion – essentially creating a duel brand identity.
The flying pheasant will be used as the dominate logo for the exterior of the trailer and on to-go cups. The standing pheasant will be used on any “dine-in” products and non-disposable mugs.
I hope that you find them as loveable as I do and you can choose the one that relates to your current mood and goals!
Note about the bowtie: I added a bowtie to the flying pheasant because I think it adds an additional touch of personality and, on a personal note, I am always sewing bowties for my cat! I chose not to add the bowtie to the standing pheasant for two reasons- First, so that I could also have a "feminine" version (yes I know that female pheasants have different markings - I am taking creative liberty!). The second reason was solely a design one. With holding the cup, a bowtie in the area would simply be too busy.
Colors
I am fortunate enough to work for a company with production, fabrication, design and printing facilities and I was able to borrow Pantone books to flip through to help narrow down the official brand colors, matching them to the colors on my mood board images. No small task! (This also took an entire workday!)
I had previously searched hardware store paint samples but was unable to find the exact color that I was looking for. The Pantone book helped me identify the specific color makeups I wanted so I was then able to narrow down the samples to the closest match. I am using the store samples as reference incase it is too expensive to get a custom paint with the exact color makeup. I needed to hunker down and get over this hurtle so that I could progress to building the website in the correct color scheme!
I am very excited to have the opportunity to create a brand rich with meaning and symbolism and share it with the world. I hope to welcome you soon and that you find the same joy, motivation and comfort!
Making decisions one cup of coffee at a time,
Heather
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