Social media butterflies might have noticed, and Black Friday drinkers as well, that on November 28th, Due South Brewing Company in Boynton Beach introduced a new sleeker logo design. Gone is the stamped and 'dirty' looking mark; in its place is angular font and geometric colors.
The brand change isn't only affecting things like signage and merchandise, the company is also bringing it to their packaged beer. Flagships Caramel Cream Ale and Category 3 IPA as well as the award winning Category 5 Imperial IPA and their new Craft American Lager will be the beginnings of a new era in branding from the South Florida brewery.
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"The rebranding decision was partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to take our brand to the next level," owner Mike Halker told us. "Our old logo was very difficult to work with in some situations... At the end of the day, it was done initially in a rush while we were focused on beer production and now that we've had some time to reflect and revisit what we were working with currently, we decided an upgrade would help improve our image."
After winning the Best Large Brewery in Florida award at this years' Florida Brewers Guild Festival this year, Halker felt that the brewery was ripe for taking things to the next step. "We had the liquid," he said, "and we needed our branding to match.
Working with a design team out of Tampa, the new identity is clear: consistency, clarity, and subtlety.
"The type is clean and easy to read," graphic designer Mike Meredith explained. "It's bold enough to stand out. The cartographic map or the elevation of the sea floor map is a subtle yet finishing touch on the can making it so you are not just looking at a blank silver can."
"The sharp lines are as if each were a flag on a boat."
Halker agrees on the idea of consistency, something that was missing on earlier canning runs. "The design is very consistent and when you put multiple brands on a shelf you're basically building a billboard for your brand. The cans look great together and there's no question - it's Due South."
While the merchandise is currently available in the taproom, the new cans are finishing up with Ball (those guys do everything), and are expected to be available by Trench Day on January 31st. No, it's not about digging, it's the annual Mariana Trench Imperial Stout release party.
Doug Fairall is a craft beer blogger who focuses on Florida beers, and has been a homebrewer since 2010. For beer things in your Twitter feed, follow him @DougFairall and find the latest beer pics on Clean Plate's Instagram.
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