Stock Yard Kitchen Brand

I developed the brand for Stock Yard Kitchen and Stock Yard Social Hall, a restaurant and event venue operating at Heritage Ranch in Red Deer.

Problem:

The client needed a food and events brand that could do two different jobs under one roof: an approachable restaurant kitchen, and a barn-style venue built for weddings and private events. Add in shared branding with the park itself, and the identity needed a third logo to identify the property without confusing it for the client’s own brand. The core challenge was holding all of this together without feeling like disconnected businesses.

My solution:

The concept centers on a horseshoe, with each venue carrying its own icon inside the same shape: a fork and knife for the Kitchen, a wine glass for the Social Hall. One shape, one shared home, two different reasons to show up.

The colour system starts with the marks themselves — gold from the Kitchen’s icon, burgundy from the Social Hall’s — grounded by black and rounded out with accent colours pulled from the property: timber, forest, river water, and evening sky.

I also wrote the brand’s voice guide: a set of plainspoken, confident rules that keep copy warm without overselling it — no “curated,” no “culinary journey,” just the place and food, simple and clear.

The brand includes:

• Logo system for Stock Yard Kitchen, Stock Yard Social Hall, and the Heritage Ranch park identifier
• A full colour and typography system
• Brand voice guidelines with do/don’t examples for writing consistent copy

Result:

A brand that carries a burger and a wedding toast in the same week without acting fancier than either one — confident about the setting, quiet about itself.