Happy Saturday to everyone. Looks like the weather is finally changing for the better! Here in Iowa we still have loads of snow on the ground but watch out for the heat wave this weekend, a balmy 40 degrees! Speaking of turning up the heat; let's find out what's going to be HOT and TRENDING this year in the liquor market and what it has to do with this weeks topic.
What's HOT!
1. Micro-distilled/artisan spirits
2. Locally produced beer/wine/spirits
3. On site barrel-aged drinks
4. Culinary Cocktails
4. Culinary Cocktails
5. Regional signature cocktails
According to the National Restaurant Association's Culinary Forecast these are the top five trends to look for in 2014
Why is this important? What does this have to do with packaging? I'm glad you asked. When you know what's trending, or what's popular, you can jump on the band wagon and design for that trend. We are talking about 1 and 2, local micro distilleries, and microbreweries. The trend with microbreweries is graphics, retro colors schemes, and the American way.
Logo
The Olde Main logo has several things going for it, the circle is a big bold shape that tends to always get attention. The green and red colors are interesting and appealing. The problems I have with this logo lies with the yellow/tan color, the banner, and the wheat. The yellow and the shape of the banner try to mimic aged parchment paper but they both fall short. They give the logo an unfinished, beginning design, and it just looks like clip art that someone made on Word. The wheat is a great addition to the logo but they are too small to have any impact. The wheat fades away at a distance and the yellow color is too close to the green which only makes it harder to stand out.
Packaging
To the right we have a few of the Olde Main bottle labels. Each different beer has it's own personality, color scheme, and imagery. The only thing they have that unifies them is the logo on the neck wrap and the band of yellow brackets the label. I have such a problem with these labels, they are remarkable disconnected from the logo and that bothers me. Now I understand wanting to have diversity and change it up a bit but you have to think about the brand. The brand should have a unifying theme so that at a glance people recognize your products.
Logo
Exile Brewing has a gorgeous logo design, clearly thought out, everything has been carefully placed, and the colors are fantastic. This logo goes a little against the trend since it's more modern but it is still wonderful. Now, I do love it, but it is a touch busy.
Packaging
To the left we have the labels and the identity of Exile's four main beers, each one has a different girl and personality. I find the idea interesting and the execution is fabulous. Each girl is different and represents the flavor of beer but once again I have a problem. They do not further the brand that is described by the logo. The logo is modern and linear and full of design principles while the girls are reminiscent of a different age. They represent the days of pin-ups and the good old days.
Logo
When I look at this logo I see a carefully planed out, well designed, and clear brand to go with the name. The shape reflects the name, it looks like the back pocket of a pair of worn denim jeans. Here in the Midwest, where the beer is centered, we have a lot of farmers and a history of hard working. The classic image of a tired worker wiping his hands on the legs of his worn jeans comes to mind when I see this logo. It's a beer for the people, the hard workers, and for those looking for quality.
The blue and mustardy yellow are beautiful together. The font and its' placement are great, having the name arch over top of the rest of the logo, it really works here unlike Olde Mains' logo. The logo is simple, clear, and easy to understand. I only worry about the wheat and the little hairs, it depends on the size, but I worry about them getting lost at smaller sizes.
Packaging
Wow! What a beautiful continuation of the brand. You look at these bottles and you can tell without a doubt that these are a part of the Backpocket brand. They reflect the brand and yet at the same time each bottle has a different personality and a different style/flavor of beer. It can be done! The colors are different than those in the those in the logo but they stay in the same tone, a little dark, muted, maybe a little aged. The names of the beers are clearly displayed and even those reflect the logo so thumbs up to Backpocket Brewery! I love the style that the illustrations are done in, they have a 50s sort of vibe, another throw back to the good ol days. I love this brand and how it has been spread out across the packaging design so for me Backpocket Brewing is top dog this week.
So what is important about all of this?
To remain relevant you have to keep track of what is trending, what's popular, and right now one of the most popular trends in alcohol consumption is micro brewed beers. People want the intimate atmosphere of the micro pubs and their small batch of designer beers.
One trend within the trend of micro breweries is to have throw backs, or retro brands that bring in the new drinking crowd and brings back the old drinking crowd. This is exciting stuff, there is so much competition, and so many brands out there that just can't keep up with the top dogs.
So that's it for this week, thanks for the reads, tell me what you think, comment, like, tweet and tell me about it!
Go out and do it! Make it happen!
Why is this important? What does this have to do with packaging? I'm glad you asked. When you know what's trending, or what's popular, you can jump on the band wagon and design for that trend. We are talking about 1 and 2, local micro distilleries, and microbreweries. The trend with microbreweries is graphics, retro colors schemes, and the American way.
Olde Main Brewing Company and Restaurant
The Olde Main logo has several things going for it, the circle is a big bold shape that tends to always get attention. The green and red colors are interesting and appealing. The problems I have with this logo lies with the yellow/tan color, the banner, and the wheat. The yellow and the shape of the banner try to mimic aged parchment paper but they both fall short. They give the logo an unfinished, beginning design, and it just looks like clip art that someone made on Word. The wheat is a great addition to the logo but they are too small to have any impact. The wheat fades away at a distance and the yellow color is too close to the green which only makes it harder to stand out.
Packaging
To the right we have a few of the Olde Main bottle labels. Each different beer has it's own personality, color scheme, and imagery. The only thing they have that unifies them is the logo on the neck wrap and the band of yellow brackets the label. I have such a problem with these labels, they are remarkable disconnected from the logo and that bothers me. Now I understand wanting to have diversity and change it up a bit but you have to think about the brand. The brand should have a unifying theme so that at a glance people recognize your products.
Exile Brewing Company
Logo
Packaging
To the left we have the labels and the identity of Exile's four main beers, each one has a different girl and personality. I find the idea interesting and the execution is fabulous. Each girl is different and represents the flavor of beer but once again I have a problem. They do not further the brand that is described by the logo. The logo is modern and linear and full of design principles while the girls are reminiscent of a different age. They represent the days of pin-ups and the good old days.
Backpocket Brewing
Backpocket Brewing is my cream of the crop this week. I love what this brand is doing, how they portray their brand, the colors, and the era they represent.Logo
When I look at this logo I see a carefully planed out, well designed, and clear brand to go with the name. The shape reflects the name, it looks like the back pocket of a pair of worn denim jeans. Here in the Midwest, where the beer is centered, we have a lot of farmers and a history of hard working. The classic image of a tired worker wiping his hands on the legs of his worn jeans comes to mind when I see this logo. It's a beer for the people, the hard workers, and for those looking for quality.
The blue and mustardy yellow are beautiful together. The font and its' placement are great, having the name arch over top of the rest of the logo, it really works here unlike Olde Mains' logo. The logo is simple, clear, and easy to understand. I only worry about the wheat and the little hairs, it depends on the size, but I worry about them getting lost at smaller sizes.
Packaging
Wow! What a beautiful continuation of the brand. You look at these bottles and you can tell without a doubt that these are a part of the Backpocket brand. They reflect the brand and yet at the same time each bottle has a different personality and a different style/flavor of beer. It can be done! The colors are different than those in the those in the logo but they stay in the same tone, a little dark, muted, maybe a little aged. The names of the beers are clearly displayed and even those reflect the logo so thumbs up to Backpocket Brewery! I love the style that the illustrations are done in, they have a 50s sort of vibe, another throw back to the good ol days. I love this brand and how it has been spread out across the packaging design so for me Backpocket Brewing is top dog this week.So what is important about all of this?
To remain relevant you have to keep track of what is trending, what's popular, and right now one of the most popular trends in alcohol consumption is micro brewed beers. People want the intimate atmosphere of the micro pubs and their small batch of designer beers.
One trend within the trend of micro breweries is to have throw backs, or retro brands that bring in the new drinking crowd and brings back the old drinking crowd. This is exciting stuff, there is so much competition, and so many brands out there that just can't keep up with the top dogs.
So that's it for this week, thanks for the reads, tell me what you think, comment, like, tweet and tell me about it!
Go out and do it! Make it happen!
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