Brewing Up A New Logo

When an award-winning craft brewery approached JP to develop a new logo, we “hopped” on the chance to create something memorable.

Background

South Gate Brewing Company in Oakhurst is launching a new brewery and tasting room next to Axis Coffee Bar & Eatery at the Tesoro Viejo community in Madera. When the brewery turned to us to help with branding efforts, the whole team quickly replied, “We’ll drink to that!”

Research

Our creative team started the logo process with a brand audit, where we examined South Gate’s logo usage on everything from directional signage to pint glasses. We also conducted extensive research on the beer – hey, you’ve gotta believe in the product, right? Upon finding multiple South Gate logos currently in use, we realized our task was more than just a new logo; we needed to ensure brand consistency, too.

Concepts

South Gate’s name stems from its location known to both locals and park tourists as Yosemite’s south entrance. So we knew it was important to honor the brand’s ties to nature while giving a nod to Yosemite’s tourism.

The great outdoors connection was also evident in the client’s idea of creating a taproom environment and culture of summer camp for adults. With this inspiration, the creative team explored a variety of looks. Our initial round of concepts filled our entire back table – and trust us, it’s a really big table. 

The Final Logo

This new logo can work in multiple applications, from print and digital pieces to hats and coasters. While it’s black and white, we’re exploring other color options, such as designating specific colors to beers.

JP and South Gate are still early in the branding process and all of us are excited to roll out the new look. Because at JP, we believe an award-winning beer deserves to have (fingers crossed!) an award-winning logo to match. Cheers!

— KATRINA RIGGS, Copywriter