THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY, for us, was a mysterious and sweltering expanse north of LA in which we usually felt very lost and tried to avoid at all costs. But we soon learned that when taking a trip out to The Valley, always do two things: take plenty of water and drop by to see culinary smart-ass Mike Kushner at Springfield Cafe.

When starting up Springfield Café, Mike asked us for an identity that would serve two purposes. The first was to welcome people into his fine establishment, and the second was to keep the customers coming back for seconds.

We came up with a number of concepts, stopping at nothing short of throwing in the kitchen sink. For a logo, Mike chose our traditional, homey and friendly vibe. He thought long and hard about it because being a caterer as well, he needed something to placate the masses while still driving those earthy valley girls wild.