labels Sam & Oliver Sparks, Flare & Burst (dry spice labels)

So here's a preliminary concept of 3 dry spices, I thought to take a slight risk with the colors to keep the dry spice lines separate from the wet sauce lines (as will be the two BBQ sauce lines):
 
Sparks is an adobo seasoning is a dry spice blend of salt, onion, garlic, cumin, chipotle and other delicious things.  It smells divine and can be used on anything from vegetables, potatoes and steak to pizza, fries, sandwiches and more.
 
Flare is a mango-chipotle dry spice that has a great nose and adds some mellow sweetness to things like mashed potatoes, roasted butternut squash and even right on pork chops, etc.  Definite sweetness with a warm chipotle end note.
 
Burst heavily focuses on cracked 'gourmet grind' black pepper as it's primary nose and body.  I didn't go with butcher grind because it was too coarse.  Red pepper, Cayenne and other spices round this out, very close to concept of a steak or chicken grilling seasoning blend but with NO salt.  I know people argue whether to put salt on before or after grilling a steak, and I decided to err on the side of a) healthy and b) you can always add salt later which is c) another future line coming (smoked sea salt).  Salt can always be added later but not easily removed.
 
Here's the concept work (note, most fields are simply borrowed from the Cinder / Stoke line, but the label is not the same size as a woozy, this is 3x6" instead of 3.25 x 5.5".  Because of this, the center panel needed to be 1/2" wider so it didn't appear "boxed" by a white bar on each side when viewed.
 
Also to note: these are printed in 2 color in an effort to reduce cost of reproduction.  A 3rd color could be added but will require an extra plate and higher per-label costs.
 
Sparks1.png

 
Flare1.png

 
Burst1.png

 
Example1.png

 
Thoughts?  Too wacky with the colors?  To hard to read the colors?
 
Gemini Crow Sauce Company said:
SCOVIE AIN'T SCOVIE?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
 
 
the hell you say!

 
You articulate your thoughts very well! 
I feel when I try and offer something up on the table, it is a convoluted jumble of streaming thought as I hear it in my head. And i feel it comes out that way in some of my posts....  :cheers:
That's exactly what happens when I try to get serious.  What's in my head comes out completely wrong.
 
Sam & Oliver said:
Sam & Oliver's Embers (dry spice line)
Chipotle-Mango Seasoning
Chipotle-Adobo Seasoning
3 Pepper Spice Blend
 
Where "Embers" is on every packaging label, sort of how Grillmates or Perfect Pinch is.
 
I REALLY LIKE EMBERS! It fits your sauce theme of different fire terms, and Embers is a great across-the-line brand for spices. I'd shake Embers on my food! I dig!!!
 
Way better than Sparks. I see what you were going for there, sparks popping in a fire, like granules of spice, but the word is... well you already got that input.
 
EMBERS is it!! YES!
 
Sam & Oliver
Embers
Chipotle BBQ Rub
 
Now here's the question though: CaJohn has a wet sauce called "Embers" - but it's a product NAME.
 
Is this copyright infringement?  Because that's exactly what I don't want to do.  I don't want to rock the boat because last time I tried to name stoke embers I got an earful about it being unoriginal so I want to make sure I stay on the right side of the fence both legally and the right thing to do.
 
Thoughts?
 
Don't seek legal advice on a forum. If you are serious about this name you need to talk to a/your lawyer.

But his is actually called Cajohn's Hot Spot Ember.

Not Embers.

I'm only pointing out facts, not giving advice.
 
Sam & Oliver said:
Now here's the question though: CaJohn has a wet sauce called "Embers" - but it's a product NAME.
 
Might not be copyright infringement but I certainly wouldn't name a product something that someone else already has as a product name.

I recall some shit hit the fan a couple years ago when a company named their product line something that A prominent existing sauce company had as a an individual product name.

Created a lot of bad blood - something I would go out of my way to avoid.

To me, that would be a total deal killer and I'd find something else to name the rub line. Each to their own of course but who needs the headache? Ad you're talking about one of the biggest players (and best connected) in the industry.

I'm speaking only for myself of course but my knee-jerk thought is "abort! abort!"
Otherwise you might be using that shovel to dig yourself out of a hole.
 
There's a lot of co-existing sauce names as the sauce title, not company. And lots of riffs on things like Datil Dew and Mean Green and so on and so on. This is a spice v. a sauce, and not the same, one is plural, of a dictionary word.

I am not on that side of the biz nor a lawyer, but your post is going to scare him when maybe it's all good.

I'm staying neutral.
 
Without any artwork, something like this? (obviously swap the white letters for the individual product names, keeping embers the same, and artwork and color change depending on the heat level?
 
new idea 1.png
 
The Hot Pepper said:
.

I am not on that side of the biz nor a lawyer, but your post is going to scare him when maybe it's all good.

I'm staying neutral.
You may be correct.

From what I've seen it's a problem best left alone.

Folks tend to take it personally when people bite their style (to use a rap term from the 80s)

You're right - there is a lot of crossover - and also a lot of behind the scenes fist-shaking over perceived transgressions.

Again - it might be perfectly legal - I'm also not doling out legal advice. But it still might be a bad move.

It's healthy to have fear in any business - especially when it comes to naming products or
Product lines.

In this case, maybe ok. Maybe not. I'm also staying neutral - just saying what I saw go down a couple years ago - and it wasn't pretty.
 
Sam & Oliver said:
Without any artwork, something like this? (obviously swap the white letters for the individual product names, keeping embers the same, and artwork and color change depending on the heat level?
 
new idea 1.png
I think it would be better to have the "seasoning" closer to the name of the line (ember).

It looks a little off the way it's hanging below the specific description "mango-whatever" like that.

Maybe put "seasoning" in a little starburst? Something - it's just a little odd the way it is now.
 
Well like I said, the last thing I want to do is steal from anyone.  I'm not like that. But that name definitely works, conveys the campfire undertone of what I want and is not a sauce.
 
I'll run it by a lawyer for sure, but I will err on the side of NOT having people come up and start drama because of a perceived transgression, which is exactly what I don't want.
 
This is where the term "sparks" came from, since Ember wasn't available (I went to stoke), and sparks kind of lingered from the thesaurus.

I swear I'm buying you all a round of beer at some point.  Maybe more.  Anyone have an issue with being heavily over-served?
 
Sam & Oliver said:
Well like I said, the last thing I want to do is steal from anyone.  I'm not like that. But that name definitely works, conveys the campfire undertone of what I want and is not a sauce.
 
I'll run it by a lawyer for sure, but I will err on the side of NOT having people come up and start drama because of a perceived transgression, which is exactly what I don't want.
 
This is where the term "sparks" came from, since Ember wasn't available (I went to stoke), and sparks kind of lingered from the thesaurus.
I wouldn't bother with a lawyer. Waste of $

I'm sure it's legal.

Whether it's good business is going to be your call. You identified a competitor using that name - so you can't claim ignorance.

It's more a matter for you to decide whether or not using that name is good karma.

I'm neutral at this point - 100% your call.
 
Sorry, all I saw was this!
 
Sam & Oliver said:
I swear I'm buying you all a round of beer at some point.  Maybe more.  Anyone have an issue with being heavily over-served?
Okay back to the program.

Yes under the Hot Spots line he has:

Blaze
Ember
Fireball
Flame
Smoky
Sparky

Pretty sure there are others using those dictionary words, just to make a point. And yours is plural and a spice.
 
The Hot Pepper said:
Sorry, all I saw was this!
 

Okay back to the program.

Yes under the Hot Spots line he has:

Blaze
Ember
Fireball
Flame
Smoky
Sparky

Pretty sure there are others using those dictionary words, just to make a point. And yours is plural and a spice.
Yep - probably safe to use.

I wonder if "smoky" is a chipotle? :rofl:
(Running joke - sorry)
 
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