That silly logo: the story behind Buford, the sheep
Before starting Lawnclips, I was a dairy farmer in Franklin County. We had sheep for many years, mostly as a hobby. Who doesn't like looking outside to see sheep in a field? At one point, we bought a large and stately ram, which quickly earned the reputation of being a bit naughty. If you have ever been around sheep, you know that you never turn your back on them. Given the opportunity, they will hit you from behind with the full force of their body weight. Buford was famous for this antic, along with many others. I named him Buford after Buford Pusser, the main character from the original movie "Walking Tall". In the movie, Buford was a person with a strong character, taking matters into his own hands according to his viewpoint. I always thought the name was funny in itself and thus I named our naughty ram, Buford.
Although I left the farm, there was still a lot of farm in me. My first advertising attempt was at a home show at the Chambersburg Mall. I took a baby lamb to the mall and it drew much attention. I decided then, that my logo would be of a sheep. From an old greeting card with a sheep drawing on it, I adapted the sheep logo. It looked like this, and would be the mainstay for a few years.
Although I left the farm, there was still a lot of farm in me. My first advertising attempt was at a home show at the Chambersburg Mall. I took a baby lamb to the mall and it drew much attention. I decided then, that my logo would be of a sheep. From an old greeting card with a sheep drawing on it, I adapted the sheep logo. It looked like this, and would be the mainstay for a few years.
During the next few years, I felt Buford could look better. With the help of my brother-in-law, we developed his character. I wanted to give Buford a more whimsical and goofy look, but I also wanted him to have a strong character to stand on his own. The new Buford started to emerge. It seemed like each drawing from my brother-in-law shed a bit more light on the character for which I was looking.
Finally, the logo started to emerge and this version is pieced together from the above sketches. You can see the comment I sent to my brother-in-law and he helped develop the final version.
The most recent change was to edit the logo down to the face. Even that went through several sketches before finalizing.
This is the version which is currently being used. Buford has been seen on many T-shirts, scarves, jackets, and most recently, coffee mugs.
