Breweries that need new branding / can art

I can think of a bunch that need to go back to old designs. Oh, hello Deschutes!

 

I think they changed at least the bottles to near the old style. So far seen the new old style on Obsidian Stout

 

Has been nice seeing some of the retro labels (Obsidian, BB, Mirror Pond are ones I've seen/bought)...fingers crossed that continues.

 

I don't mind most of the Logsdon labels, but they could make them a bit more unified. Sometimes they use some color combos that really clash or are hard to read. I'd still take what they have now over a bland redesign that you see all too often.

 

Did logsdon move away from the oval window on the pastoral scene? I always liked that even if it was probably too small and busy to be "good" design

 

They did after the brewery was sold. The original logo and labels were all done by one of the original owners. He used to pour beer and sell his artwork at the farm location. He was an older guy who talked with a thick Scandinavian accent.

 

I liked his art. I wonder if he is still around and selling it?

 

I think their bottles still have that pastoral scene? Been a while since I've looked at one, though

 

I only see cans from them now. I know the old originals like Peche 'n Brett is still bottled with the old label.

 

I liked Fremont's old branding much more. The new logo looks too much like a sports team logo.

 

Why replace this classic.

 

Because the new branding is a better fit for the brewery they are now, rather than the one they were 12 years ago.

Because the craft beer industry is more competitive than it was 12 years ago, and you need to find ways to make your brand jump off the shelf to new buyers while still remaining recognizable to old fans. The new Fremont branding, in my opinion, does a very good job of this.

Because the new logo will work better at much smaller sizes than the old logo could ever hope to. The new logo works well as a social media icon, or as an icon in an app like Untappd or Digital Pour, or as the TINY logo that appears on a web browser tab. (Like it or not, these are very practical concerns for contemporary logo design.)

It's not like they ditched everything and started from scratch. They kept the heron. They kept the color scheme largely intact. They used similar typography (which, again, works better than the old version at smaller sizes).

This is an evolution, not a radical departure.

 

Meh!

 

You've argued your point well, and I agree with almost everything, but how is the new logo who they are now? The new heron inhabits the animal kingdom's equivalent of the uncanny valley to me.

 

Odells and Alaskan.

 

The old logo had a bunch of vintage-looking stuff that the Fremont visual identity doesn't need anymore: hop bines, grain stalks, quaint banners. The new logo preserves the most important element of the old logo: the heron. Tons of breweries use hops and grain illustrations in their logos. It's practically a cliche. But the heron IS Fremont.

As for the style, shrug. Without knowing the other options that were explored and/or presented, I can't say if this highly abstract style is the best approach. But without trying to put down the old logo, there was nothing modern or particularly unique about it, and plenty that was clunky and rather dated.

By the way: None of this is supposed to change your mind or your feelings about this logo. People like what they like. I'm sure there was plenty of soul-searching about changing the logo. But like Townshend said, "Music must change." And so must any entity that wants to remain successful and relevant.

These are just my opinions. Your Mileage May Vary. Let's have a beer.