When Jim Koch first brewed his great-grandfather's beer recipe in his kitchen in 1984, he might not have anticipated the exciting future ahead of him. This home-brewed beer eventually became Samuel Adams, a beloved beer brand that was hailed as the starter of the craft beer revolution. Like many great things, Samuel Adams originated in Boston, and this family recipe is now known as Boston Lager, Samuel Adams' flagship style.
Lately, however, they feel that while they have Sam Adams fans at their core and have grown with the brand, they need to appeal to a newer, younger audience. They called long-time partner Moxie Sozo to help launch a new and innovative beer range through bold, fun and distinctive packaging.
That's how Wicked was born.
Derek Springston, Chief Creative Officer and Partner at Moxie Sozo, said: "The Sam Adams brand is very popular and considered very traditional. "The Wicked sub-brand allows for more freedom to connect with younger groups."
For Wicked Hazy and Wicked Easy, the juicy New England style IPA and the latter a light and hazy conference IPA, Moxie Sozo wanted to push the Samuel Adams brand into new territory. Nate Dyer, Creative Director and Partner at Moxie Sozo, explains: "We want to inspire the people around the brand again – new and existing consumers – ". Much of Samuel Adams' packaging features himself, with the brand name at the front and center. These are design elements that need to be incorporated in some way. The team needed to spice things up while being rooted in the Sam Adams family.
"We created something that made Sam feel more energetic than still," Nate says. "We activated him by combining him with other graphic elements, rather than just sitting on top of the logo."
outcome? According to Gregory Pizzi, creative director at Boston Breweries (manufacturer of Sam Adams, Dogfish Head, Truly, Angry Orchard and Twisted Tea), this packaging design features the most prominent image of Sam's "man" than any other product. Evil beer doesn't look like part of the brand design equation. Instead, customized typography and asymmetrical layouts will immediately tell drinkers that this is beyond the status quo.
This asymmetrical mass is also not easy. The wordmark needs to stand out, while the font remains clear within the wedge section of the front. Moxie Sozo is also looking to the future – how does this design fit into the rest of the range? Most importantly, the team needed to include key Samuel Adams elements. Still, thanks to the trust of Samuel Adams, whom they've worked with before, they're able to do incredible things.
"It's stress testing," said Mike Bowman, senior account director at Moxie Sozo. "We have a great relationship with Sam Adams. Usually, they'll kick us in and say, "Push our ideas, even though we probably won't end up there." "They like to see that range, they like to feel uncomfortable, and the way we do that is good."
"Nate's original idea was that Sam had X-ray vision and that the graphics came from his eyes, so we were limited a little bit," Derek says. "If we hadn't done that in some of the initial explorations, they wouldn't have realized, 'Well, maybe we can play with Sam more than ever before.'" We don't need to have this kind of strict locking on the names, we can let them go off center. Those initial concepts and the ability to push them out of their comfort zone really helped. ”
Ultimately, Moxie Sozo emphasizes quality and ingredients while making something fun and refreshing. These cans feature plump hops and citrus fruit slices floating in the background, while the rich color palette illustrates the juicy, refreshing flavor inside. The font is thick and personal, but easy to read even at unbalanced angles.
Asked what makes Wicked's design so successful, Gregory said, "A unique, organic and fluid illustrated art form encompasses the flavors of every beer while preserving the brand equity of Sam Adams." An important aspect of developing ideas for the Wicked collection is ensuring that we are different in an unexpected but fun way, while being recognized by drinkers. ”
Beer has indeed been a huge success, and the brand world can easily expand its products in its own way.
"It's nice to hear how it's performing," Derek said. "They're sharing photos with us. People at Fenway Park drink Wicked Easy with signs we made behind them. It's worldwide, and brands connect with people in all the ways we design them. ”
Learn more about Moxie Sozo here!