Barbecue for everybody.

"So much of our work is about dreams. This one you could smell and taste."

Stephen Franklin was a childhood friend and a Son&Sons team member. He was a brand strategy guy ready for a smokier future and had a family of Georgia pitmasters behind him. We got to build a brand for a friend, with a founder, around a product that's delicious.


Truth

Walk into most barbecue joints and you'll notice who's there — and who isn't. What was missing were women, kids, families, anyone who felt they might not belong. And Georgia had no defined barbecue style that required strict adherence. So: what if we made a barbecue joint where everyone felt welcome?

"What if we made a BBQ joint where everyone felt welcome?"

DAS BBQ T-Shirt. A black tee printed with the DAS BBQ butcher-style cow diagram.
Black Illustration Spread. A DAS BBQ illustration mixing tacos, flames, and hand-drawn rock-and-roll motifs.
DAS BBQ Matchbox. A matchbox wrapped in DAS BBQ branding with bold typography and yellow graphic accents.
Butcher Cut Cow on Orange. A DAS BBQ cow diagram printed in black over a solid orange background.
DAS BBQ Business Cards. Business cards featuring the DAS BBQ wordmark, lightning graphic, and simple cream-and-black palette.

Beauty

What is DAS? DAS honors the German and Czech settlers who brought smoked meats to central Texas. It's part of the story that earns a Georgia BBQ joint the right to claim Texas brisket. A name that needs explaining usually fails. This one got journalists explaining it for free.

We built a brand holding both halves of Stephen's vision: uncompromising about craft, welcoming about everything else.

“Turn for the Wurst” Billboard A large billboard featuring a hand-drawn sausage illustration and playful “Turn for the Wurst” headline.
DAS Erzerker Lager Can. A black-and-yellow craft beer can featuring a bold skull illustration and DAS BBQ branding.

Impact

DAS opened in 2016 in a converted Pizza Hut. By 2018 it took Atlanta Magazine's readers' barbecue bracket with nearly 20,000 votes. Then opened a second flagship in Grant Park with a purpose built smokehouse and pitmaster classes.

And the original insight is still running the place. In Stephen's own words: his dream of making Georgia "the most inclusive, creative barbecue experience in the country."

DAS BBQ Sauce Labels. A set of BBQ sauce labels for red, vinegar, and white sauces, each with bold DAS BBQ branding and usage notes.

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A bold blue Atlanta History Center logo
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Whoosh Logo graphic
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