Hero’s started out as a small pop-up doughnut shop running out of a test kitchen in Birmingham, Alabama. Now they are a fully equipped restaurant with not only sweet treats but savory lunches as well. I first encountered Hero’s in my college years when they were a tiny shop in Homewood. Needless to say, they have grown a lot in the past few years. Hero’s now serves their savory and sweet buns in Homewood, Birmingham, South Carolina, and Atlanta! Not only are their homestyle brioche doughnuts and buns delicious, but their branding is also mouthwatering.

I’ll focus on the Parkside location in downtown Birmingham since that is the location I most frequent! Now Let’s dive in.

Hero’s Doughnuts & Buns features a black and white floor tiling and vibrate pops of red that just makes you… hungry! They have a statement neon sign piece in the center of the restaurant that reads “Everybody needs a Hero” which is their motto. This neon sign makes for a fantastic photo-op with your favorite doughnut! This location also features a bar where you can order classic brunch drinks such as mimosas and bloody marys. I love their outdoor patio area that features a ton of plants and is, of course, doggy friendly (a must with me)! You can feel Hero’s overall branding throughout the entire restaurant, from where you order, to where you sit down, everything is well balanced and cohesive.

Hero’s logo is one of my favorites! So simple and clean, yet recognizable and fun. This read is absolutely iconic and I’m here for it. Going back to color psychology, we know that the color red is often used by food brands because it is both eye-catching and appetizing which is PERFECT for Hero’s as I want to eat every doughnut in there (I control myself, thankfully!)

Now to the menu. I am one of those people that get decision paralysis when faced with way too many options. I’m a firm believer that a back and front is really all you need, past that, you’ve maybe got too many items on the menu. Hero’s menu is front and back (just how I like it) and even better, it’s downloadable ONLINE and easily found on their website. One thing that drives me nuts is I like to look at menus before I go anywhere and if the menu is hard to find or in a format that I can’t easily access on my phone, you bet I’m moving on. Hero’s menu is sleek, eye-catching, and well organized. I love the personality with the illustration of the founder, Will Drake on there as well!

Hero’s website is very well done. On brand, easy to navigate, and let’s not forget the splendid imagery we’ve got going on there! The animations and transitions are just enough to make the site fun and interesting without being distracting. I strive to make websites that look like theirs. Having an easy-to-navigate website that is also mobile-friendly is so important as a restaurant or cafe. As I said before, I tend to move on if I can’t find information on the establishment easily on the site. Hero’s has kept it simple but fun! Check out their full site here: Hero’s Website

Lastly, I want to mention the merch that Hero’s sells. I personally LOVE my “thank you” bag style t-shirt that reads “Doughnuts & Buns” repeating on it. Like how cute is this? I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, good branding makes for free advertisement. I PAID Hero’s $25 so I could advertise THEIR establishment on MY body 🤯 and I’ll happily do it again because they have a ton of really solid merch designs on their site, definitely go check it out if you’re into this style!! This was actually a huge inspiration for my tote bag for a recent project: Kindly go check it out!

Overall, I think Hero’s branding (and their doughnuts) are 10/10. It’s cohesive, it stands out, it elicits the correct feelings, contributes positively to my consumer experience, and definitely attracts customers. If you are ever in the Birmingham area, let’s get a doughnut together at Hero’s so you can experience it too!

I hope you enjoyed this Brand Analysis and thank you for reading! Now time to get some doughnuts 😋

***All images in this post are attributed to Hero’s Doughnuts & Buns and are used for demonstration purposes only. Corky Creative Co. does not claim any of these images to be her own.***