When longtime client Francois Safieddine and his team approached Vigor about developing a Mexican concept for the Colorado market, it was to be the fourth brand experience we’d developed together. However, it was the first with a specific ethnic inspiration. While it would share the same elevated cuisine and experience that had become a hallmark for the operators, creating a Mexican concept in Colorado raised a unique challenge: how do we balance authenticity with creativity, and Mexican influence with the tastes and affinities of the local market? The solution was encapsulated in the brand’s purpose “To create a unifying experience that everyone in the neighborhood can love.”
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Storytelling is key
With free rein to explore pan-regional Mexican cuisine and cultural history, the Vigor team explored the diverse visual languages, symbolism, folklore, and mythology of the country’s seven culinary regions. Inspired by Aztec and Mayan influences, we created a name designed to pique curiosity: My Neighbor Félix. We answered this curiosity by creating “The Legend of Félix”, a modern folk tale that honored those influences while expressing the brand’s sunny, curious, and hospitable personality. The result was a branded narrative that offered locals the fun of cultural exploration while clearly positioning the brand as “Hecho in Colorado.” This re-imagined story and visual identity provided an inclusive entry-point that every Patron could fall in love with.
Bringing the legend to life
With a story-led strategy in place, Vigor brought “The Legend of Félix” to life through visual and verbal cues throughout the identity, environment, and collateral. The skeleton key in the logo symbolized common access to exploration. A suite of Mayan and Aztec influenced icons blended myth with product and experienced-focused images that lend a unique personality to the brand. And micro-copy touches like “Muy Yum” and “Bienvenido Mi Amigo” balance authenticity with the laid back hospitality that the local Patrons were primed to embrace.
