Overview
Ozark Beer Co., or OBC, serves up high-quality brew for porch side drinkers and craft connoisseurs alike. But in today’s uber-competitive beer market, great taste alone simply won’t do. The number of American breweries has grown 576% over the last 20 years- from 601 in 1994 to 3,464- says industry trade group, the Brewers Association. A solid brand design is essential as a first impression for imbibers.

Strategy
OBC needed to establish a visual identity that reflected the unique culture of the Ozarks; of honest, hard-working people and great local beer. As the storyteller of OBC’s tale, Northwest Arkansas creative agency, BLKBOXLabs, needed to create a design vocabulary as artisanal as the brand’s brew; one that would help this local company maintain its momentum and fight off any craft-beer competition.

Research/Planning
Our market research showed that not only does OBC compete with local competition, but with craft brewers nationwide. Within the last few months, Arkansas has welcomed COOP (Oklahoma City), Kona (Hawaii), Sixpoint (Brooklyn), and Victory (Pennsylvania). Lagunitas from California and Oskar Blues from Colorado are brands that may soon follow behind.

Execution
To illustrate the brand’s authentic Arkansas flair and stand out in stores, we set hand-drawn type into images representative of Ozark culture; campfire illustration for the Belgian-style Golden; and a massive elk for the Pale Ale. Additionally, we gave each can a bold black background, suggested food pairings and told the brand’s story to connect with OBC’s broad audience.

People from the Ozarks “get it,” says BLKBOXLabs’ creative director, Jeremy Teff. “These are outdoors people who are hardworking, and that’s where that handcrafted aspect comes from. Everything we do here we make with our hands, so it was natural for us to design the cans that way.”

Results
Implementation of a strong brand identity transformed OBC into a household name for serious beer drinkers. The craft brewery has received recognition nationwide from respected names like Southern Living, Men’s Journal and The Washington Times and is quickly becoming the most notable brewery to come out of the Natural State.

Designed by: BLKBOXLabs, USA.