Ess-a-Bagel: Refreshing a New York Bagel Icon

Client: Ess-a-Bagel  ·  Location: New York City  ·  Scope: Brand Identity, Logo & Mascot, Illustration

The challenge

Ess-a-Bagel is a beloved New York institution — famous for its legendary bagels and its warm, no-frills charm, serving locals and tourists across the city. The brand carried decades of equity and an identity its customers genuinely loved. The brief was delicate: refresh the iconic mascot and logo without betraying the roots. Ess-a-Bagel wanted a character that was friendly, flexible enough to adapt for holidays and seasonal moments, and still full of the same heart and humor that defines the brand.

Our approach

We treated the refresh as a restoration, not a redesign. Rather than impose a new look, our senior team studied what made the existing identity work — the warmth, the New York attitude, the unpretentious personality — and modernized around those anchors. The result was a fresh, cheerful bagel mascot with real character, built as a flexible system so it can flex across seasonal and celebratory applications all year while always reading unmistakably as Ess-a-Bagel.

What we delivered

• Mascot design & character system
• Logo modernization
• Brand identity refresh
• Seasonal & holiday variations
• Illustration

The result

The updated identity preserves Ess-a-Bagel’s rich heritage while infusing it with renewed energy. It maintains the brand’s iconic status — continuing to resonate with longtime patrons while connecting with new generations of New Yorkers and visitors.

“A true pleasure to work with — they gave our company a beloved brand character and refreshed logo designs.” — Ess-a-Bagel