The making of the characters, logo and packaging for Den’s Hot Dogs

Starting to draw the sketches keeping in mind American stereotypes and the fact that sometimes we have to eat on the go.

An Indian and a cowboy snack while hunting. A partridge and a hot dog over fire.

A juggling one-man band.

A hot dog as quick as a rocket.

This is the real deal dude, grab it!

A 3D hot dog.

Saucy calligraphy and cardboard eco-packaging.

Presenting the five alternatives to the client.

3D hot dog packaging gets ahead of the pack.

Time to take pictures. First, we research the common approaches to hot dog photography.

Taking pictures.

Trying them on the box layout sent by the client.

Looks like a laced-up boot. We need different ingredients and a different perspective.

Preparing the ingredients.

Making tons of photographs.

Simultaneously working on the logo for the company and the product.

The idea of snacking on the go easily accommodates different characters.

The type designer joins in.

Time to assemble everything together and make boxes for hot dogs with different flavors.

We keep making mock-ups as we go to make sure we are still on the right track.

The boxes are ready for production. The client receives the first samples and realizes that the box is too large and the hot dog inside is too small. And that really is a problem, since it means less boxes fit on a store shelf or in a truck that delivers them—it’s all horrendously inefficient.

The client changes the layout and asks to shorten the box by 4,5 cm (1,8″).

Adjusting the design for the new layout, placing the company logo and adding color to box ends while we’re at it.

Done.