Naughty Cow Brewing
Navigation
In a world where there are millions of brands in a market trying to compete for the attention of consumers, making sure your company has a unique brand identity and voice is KEY to standing out in the market.
It is these brands that catch our eye and leave a lasting mark. Whether it is by pure innovation, clever marketing, or its whimsical and nonsensical branding strategies, people tend to give these brands the most attention.
This was one of the key ideologies behind this branding case study for The Naughty Cow, a brewing company located in the heart of Chicago. It is a brand built on honesty and authenticity, creating handcrafted products with its team of burningly passionate brewers that wish to create high-quality craft beers for Chicago.
Its logo mark and name briefly nods back to Chicago's early history and playfully demonstrates the brand's unique and spirited identity in the ligatures of the text, as they form a mischievous smile at the bottom of the logo.
Packaging
A key element to get right was the brand's packaging, as ultimately it would be one of the main deciding factors to customers picking The Naughty Cow over competitors. The packaging needed to be bold yet playful just as the logo was.
The packaging plays with different styles of typography: from handwritten to blackletter, to print titling, each package tells a story that nods to the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its use of bold and warm colors makes it stand out on a shelf.
The decision to create packaging for amber glass bottles rather than aluminum cans was an intentional design decision that was crucial to contributing to the Naughty Cow's visual identity and rich history. This and the textured and "burned" feel of the bottle's wrap-around label creates a sensory experience for any consumer who picks up their favorite style of Naughty Cow brews.
Stationery
Fundamentals that live at the backbone of the brand are just as important as the other brand elements. Items like stationery and business cards are assets of the brand you may only ever see on the corporate side of the company but are important nonetheless.
I went after a similar visual style for the stationery as I did with the packaging, but this time pulled back and used a more minimal design style so as to not make the design too visually busy.
Important information such as the email, address and phone number are highlighted by simple color blocks, making it easy for the viewer to find the contacts for the brand.
Digital Ads
While creating both print and social media advertisements for The Naughty Cow I decided that this would be the perfect time to further develop the brand's voice, as advertisements allow for brands to make a large impact on their audience that can make or break their popularity.
I wanted to play with the idea of bringing together the age of digital ads and the age of print news ads and combine the two into the modern era. This in turn created a unique visual identity for the brand that called back to a more textile era, while still pulling elements from the digital age and putting them into play.
The brand exhibits a playful and almost mischievous voice on the internet, inspired by the likes of Wendy's, Duolingo, and other "sassy" brands that are popular on the internet today.
Print Ads
The Naughty Cow doesn't just make beer, they make history. The Naughty Cow strives to make a memorable impact on its customers. To sit back and relax, and enjoy the little moments with friends and family alike, The Naughty Cow is a spark that brings these people together to create lasting memories.
The Naughty Cow is not just interested in making customers but forming a community throughout the Chicago land area. Rather than simply selling their beer through print advertisements, the Naughty Cow strives to push events that bring the community together in a place where they can all gather to rest, kick back and have a good time with the people they love. This was my focus while designing a print poster series for the brewery.
We don't just make beer, we make history.