This was a rebranding experiment for Aqueduct Brewing, a small brewery in Akron, OH.
The rebranding bundle included a primary logo with a vertical & horizontal orientations, an animated logo, branded patterns, packaging, merchandise, and marketing materials.
The brewery is located on the river in the historic part of Akron where an old Aqueduct once stood, hence the name. The building itself has an industrial underground vibe with exposed brick walls and dim lighting. The unique location and grunge interior played a key role in shaping the brand identity. The goal was to take that current look and feel and add a classy high-end twist in order to expand the identity from an old and dingy dive bar to a modern and cool underground experience.
The logo, with its bold slab serif typeface and strong architectural “A” logo mark, directly resembles the structure and strength of an aqueduct bridge. The black and gold is a dynamic duo that equates to high-class and quality, while also working well as an eye-catching industrial color palette. On a deeper level, the black represents dark and mysterious (like the location) and the gold represents the iconic color of a refreshing beer. The use of sepia toned imagery is reminiscent of the location’s history and grunge interior, a true experiment on how to combine old-school and modern into one fresh look. Lastly, the branded patterns used throughout were inspired by beer foam and carbonation.
