Brief
I really enjoy Bear Republic beers, but I have always felt they could use a design makeover. Their current logo uses the infamous grizzly bear and star from the California state flag. In 1846, the original historic bear flag was raised at Sonoma, CA when American settlers revolted against Mexican rule and declared California a republic. Similarly, Bear Republic rebelled against the big beer companies with their aggressive hop-heavy ales in a dominant market of light, easy-drinking lagers. For the new logo, I wanted to keep the grizzly bear which portrays strength, and star which represents sovereignty, but simplify them as an iconic symbol where it can be used in an emblem, label or tagline. Bear Republic’s flagship beer is Racer 5 India Pale Ale, so for the beer labels and packaging, I was inspired by the vintage motorcycle racing posters and graphics, as well as the historical racing photos from companies like Harley Davidson; which I used as a backdrop for their revamped Racer IPA series.
Racer 5 bottle mock-up
Racer 5 bottle back mock-up
Racer 5 sixer mock-up
Racer IPA collection
Racer 1
Electric Blue
Racer 5
Lightning Yellow
Racer X
Supercharged Red
Business card mock-up
Branding mock-up
Brewery sign mock-up
Homepage mock-up