Would you come out to Switzerland and taste lots of beer then work on the design and brand for my new craft beer?
Nah, we’re really busy at the moment
The actual answer was yes. (whilst trying so hard not to sound like a 7 year old on Christmas morning.)
So, Gareth from Winslow Brew Co and Alias Beer had been following our work for a good few years and finally, after having worked as the General Manager for Richard Branson’s Verbier Ski Lodge, he approached us to work together. G has had a passion for craft beer making for a good while and is now selling his crafty beer, Alias.
We worked for 3 to 4 months creating the right feel for his brand, this included a research trip in the alps. We are now incredibly proud to show and tell this work.
The Names
G provided us with the names (Winslow Brew Co for the brewery and Alias for his first beer). Winslow Brew Co. comes from a family heritage name and Alias from a psychology that, when you have an Alias beer, you are away from the world’s stresses, problems and you are in a positive social environment… your Alias as such. This provided us with a rich story to tell and convey, whilst not overlooking the hand-made craft tangibility. The beer itself is a golden ale, with a taste that bridges a pale craft ale to a session lager… basically it tastes like angel’s tears.
First came the Winslow Brew Co. brand. The brand G chose was the one closest to his roots in Switzerland and is an echo of the cultural flag of his area – Valaisanne. Then came the brand for his first brew… Alias. The more we delved into the name idea the further we explored the notion of character, in terms of flavour, in terms of ‘type’ and in terms of personality. This resonated with us instantly and became the foundation for our creative path. We presented 3 options of differing brand temperatures and what you see here is the live chosen brand. The silver, whilst still beautiful, is the more conservative ‘you’, the opaque red over the top is your vibrant ‘alias’. These characters echo both the flavour and the sentiment of the product and produce an extensive brand proposition and language which translates culturally and commercially.
We entertained the idea of possibly never picking up the same Alias twice, thereby extending the Alias into the product itself. Ok, so the reality was something that may not have been achievable but we did our best by producing 8 different designs for the same product. You never feel as though it’s not an ‘Alias beer’ as you know it but the 8 different character combinations provided a further point of interest for the brand and keeps it constantly alive for its audience.
G mentioned that, whilst it was a Swiss product, he didn’t want to over ‘Swiss’ the design. Our subtle homage to Switzerland comes in the form of the die-cut Swiss cross that is made whole where the label edges meet on the reverse – which provides a visual and tactile nod to its home.
You can see in the further examples how the brand begins to translate into all supporting collateral, including our ‘responsible drinking’ beer mats!
There is a lot more to come from this product and G’s brewery so watch this space. Alias is on sale throughout the Swiss Alps and further into the alpine regions of Europe and will also be appearing on UK and maybe even Channel Island shores soon. Follow G’s story of Winslow Brew Co and Alias through various channels – Website, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter
Also special thanks to Richard at Label.co.uk for his and his firm’s sterling efforts on print.