Chilito's Express + Chilito's Sauces Rebranding

Al Maldonado of Chilito's Express is an expert at crafting delicious foods and sauces, with explosive flavors that make me want to eat constantly. I want to live in his rice and beans, they're so delicious, and don't get me started on his cream cheese tamales, because it's tough to stop eating those as well...but his branding didn't really match the excellence of his food, or his personality.
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When he told me that he was working on getting his sauces into HEB, and wanted a more polished brand, I knew instantly that I wanted to help. We began by discussing his goals for the brand, as well as figuring out what he liked about his existing design elements: the Chilito Pepper.

Original Logo Design

New Logo Design

Since Al's personality is a big part of what makes Chilito's Express so special, I wanted his energy and excitement to shine through in his new brand; to be fun and playful, just like him. The Chilito Pepper was crafted with various expressions to portray Al's pizazz. Here are a few of the working expressions that we built from to get started:

Ultimately, we went with the smiling Chilito Pepper for the main logo, and we use some of the expressions on his delicious Gourmet Tamale packaging and other design projects. You may notice that our Chilito Pepper also got a new pair of shoes during the revision process.

A few years later, and Chilito's Sauces are now available in over 200 HEB stores across Texas, after qualifying for the Quest for the Texas Best contest a couple of years back. (Look for them in the Condiment aisle near the Ketchup!)

Additionally, we knew that his full "Classic" Chilito's logo would not work for all applications, so I built the logo with this in mind. We often use the isolated banner from the full logo, for a cleaner, more modern look.

If you're ready for a brand overhaul for your own business, please use the form below to contact us today to start a collaboration. I want to help you put your best foot forward, so you can confidently stand out with your brand out!