Jack McGill's

Objective

I spent a day at Jack McGill's, and within that day I learned all I needed to know. Every customer I talked to spoke of Jack McGill's as a staple of the community, one of the last old-fashioned businesses left. For this community the business is more than just an auto repair shop, it's a point of pride.

What is now known as Jack McGill's used to be McGill's Auto, started by Jack's grandfather in the late 1920s. Though the building has gone through some renovations, the local community knows the history of this property and celebrates its contribution to the city.

In 1998, Jack began to play a more active role in the business and changed the name to Jack McGill's. This rebirth of the business is exhibited on the side of the building in a simplified 1920s-style banner graphic next to the new logo.

For the visual identity of Jack McGill's, I felt the business needed a shorthand representation of the brand, something that acted as almost a stamp of approval for the renowned mechanics at Jack McGill's. I wanted the logo to seem timeless, like it's been around as long as the actual business has. The JmcG type lockup came about from conversations about making the logo actually look like a stamp—something simple and bold, with an authoritative style.





From the beginning, we knew we wanted to have the logo painted on a particular part of their white building. Though I explored many color possibilities, we decided that a classic white and black approach would be most appropriate for the property people have come to know as Jack McGill's.