diff --git a/piker/__init__.py b/piker/__init__.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e69de29b
diff --git a/piker/log.py b/piker/log.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0fe855bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/piker/log.py
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+"""
+Log like a forester!
+(HINT: You can't usually find stupid suits in the forest)
+"""
+import sys
+import logging
+import colorlog
+
+_proj_name = 'piker'
+
+
+# Super sexy formatting thanks to ``colorlog``.
+# (NOTE: we use the '{' format style)
+# Here, `thin_white` is just the laymen's gray.
+LOG_FORMAT = (
+    "{bold_white}{thin_white}{asctime}{reset}"
+    " {bold_white}{thin_white}({reset}"
+    "{thin_white}{threadName}{reset}{bold_white}{thin_white})"
+    " {reset}{log_color}[{reset}{bold_log_color}{levelname}{reset}{log_color}]"
+    " {log_color}{name}"
+    " {thin_white}{filename}{log_color}:{reset}{thin_white}{lineno}{log_color}"
+    " {reset}{bold_white}{thin_white}{message}"
+)
+DATE_FORMAT = '%b %d %H:%M:%S'
+LEVELS = {
+    'GARBAGE': 1,
+    'TRACE': 5,
+    'PROFILE': 15,
+    'QUIET': 1000,
+}
+STD_PALETTE = {
+    'CRITICAL': 'bold_red',
+    'ERROR': 'red',
+    'WARNING': 'yellow',
+    'INFO': 'green',
+    'DEBUG': 'purple',
+    'TRACE': 'cyan',
+}
+BOLD_PALETTE = {
+    'bold': {
+        'CRITICAL': 'bold_red',
+        'ERROR': 'bold_red',
+        'WARNING': 'bold_yellow',
+        'INFO': 'bold_green',
+        'DEBUG': 'bold_purple',
+        'TRACE': 'bold_cyan',
+    },
+}
+
+
+def get_logger(name: str = None) -> logging.Logger:
+    '''Return the package log or a sub-log for `name` if provided.
+    '''
+    log = rlog = logging.getLogger(_proj_name)
+    if name and name != _proj_name:
+        log = rlog.getChild(name)
+        log.level = rlog.level
+    return log
+
+
+def get_console_log(level: str = None, name: str = None) -> logging.Logger:
+    '''Get the package logger and enable a handler which writes to stderr.
+
+    Yeah yeah, i know we can use ``DictConfig``. You do it...
+    '''
+    log = get_logger(name)  # our root logger
+
+    if level:
+        log.setLevel(level.upper() if not isinstance(level, int) else level)
+
+    if not any(
+        handler.stream == sys.stderr for handler in log.handlers
+        if getattr(handler, 'stream', None)
+    ):
+        handler = logging.StreamHandler()
+
+        # additional levels
+        for name, val in LEVELS.items():
+            logging.addLevelName(val, name)
+
+        formatter = colorlog.ColoredFormatter(
+            LOG_FORMAT,
+            datefmt=DATE_FORMAT,
+            log_colors=STD_PALETTE,
+            secondary_log_colors=BOLD_PALETTE,
+            style='{',
+        )
+        handler.setFormatter(formatter)
+        log.addHandler(handler)
+
+    return log