Mountains In My Heart Cabins offers a rustic cabin and ATV experience in the Ouachita National Forest in Mena, AR, just east of the Texas border. With six creeks running through the trail that leads you to cabins, a stay at Mountains In My Heart is about as secluded as you can get.
During the discovery process of the project, we agreed that it was important to impart a very hand-crafted, almost primitive style to the visual identity. Since the main attraction of the area is the abundant, world-class ATV trails, hiking trails, and hunting spots, we also felt the identity needed to exude a feeling of playfulness and adventure.
Through my early logo exploration, it was clear that a heart shape would be very appropriate and achieve what I call an "ah-ha moment" as the consumer reads the name of the business. I tried several different ways of incorporating this shape, but ultimately the primitive script style felt the most distinctive and best matched the mood we were going for.
The color palette was derived from the colors you'll see in the wilderness of Ouachita National Forest, with a focus on a deep, welcoming green and rustic, natural white. The headline typeface lends a whimsical look with it's chunky, hand-drawn strokes, and the body typeface counters that with a rough, industrial typewriter-like style.
The Ouachita National Forest has its fair share of cabins and attractions, but all of them rely on the natural features of the area to attract customers — hiking, hunting, ATV trails, etc. By building the MIMHC around the owners and their unique relationship with that part of the forest, I was able to create a brand identity that stands out against other destinations in the area and represents the MIMHC experience.