Local firm gives Pogue's Run Grocer a boost

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 11, 2010

Contact: Cody Fague

Cell phone: (317) 640 – 4817

Email: cody@cododesign.com

Local firm gives Pogue’s Run Grocer a boost

Design team CODO donates branding services to upcoming co-op

Local firm CODO Design mixed “urban utopia” with “freakin’ delicious” in their recent pro bono branding project for the Indy Food Co-op’s upcoming community-owned market, Pogue’s Run Grocer. The grocer, set to open late spring 2010, will offer fresh, local and organic foods, household products, and educational programs.

“This is an exciting step for Indianapolis; we wanted to lend our knowledge of branding, marketing and graphic design to help Pogue’s Run grow,” says CODO Design partner Cody Fague.

Pogue’s Run Grocer, soon to be located at 10th and Rural Streets, will be the only community-owned cooperative grocery in Indianapolis.

“The location at 10th and Rural does pose some interesting marketing challenges,” according to Fague. “Pogue’s Run needs to send the right message to people from many different backgrounds. The key is to get folks excited about the role that fresh, delicious food can play in revitalizing one of our city’s richly historic urban areas.”

CODO Design assembled large boards with inspirational image clippings side-by-side with Indy Food Co-op members. The boards that members found most appealing—the aptly named “urban utopia,” a visual homage to the quaint neighborhood markets of yore, and “freakin’ delicious,” a celebration of fresh, tantalizing foods, became the basis for the grocer’s brand identity.

CODO Design provided market research, logo development and art direction for the food co-op.

“CODO undertook our brand development by getting into the trenches, talking to people in the community, our members and our partners,” said Kyle Hendrix, president of Indy Food Cooperative, Inc. “The process they used was inclusive, and just what a community-owned project needs to lay the ground work for its future success.”

“The energy of the Indy Food Co-op is undeniable,” according to CODO Partner Isaac Arthur. “We worked with some formidable local talent on the project, including interior designers, architects and a logo designer. People are excited about what Pogue’s Run means for the community, and that shows through in the branding.”

“Every successful organization needs to connect with its customers and tell a compelling story,” Arthur adds. “That’s what branding is all about.”

“The CODO team was very enthusiastic about the co-op mission,” said Hendrix, “but we were most impressed with their expansive efforts to understand our diverse customer base and develop a brand that would resonate. As a start-up non-profit, we could never have been able to budget for such high-quality branding services, making the work of CODO invaluable to our community effort.”

For more info about joining Indy Food Co-op or Pogue’s Run Grocer, visit www.indyfoodcoop.org.

For more information about CODO Design, visit www.cododesign.com.

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CODO Design is a branding and graphic design firm located in Indianapolis. Their recent projects include the rebranding of Indianapolis Early Music, the rebranding of the Indiana Humanities Council program Novel Conversations, and the design of the exhibition Dillinger! Forging a Hoosier Legend at the Indiana State Library.