The Dalston Cola Company has unveiled a new visual identity for its range of soft drinks, as it seeks to transition from a niche, craft drinks maker to a more established brand.
Handmade in East London from 100% natural and locally sourced ingredients, Dalston’s new visual identity has been created by design agency B&B Studio, and will help it to create a solid brand proposition.
B&B has retained some of the rawness of the original brand by elevating the local “hand-mashed” story to express what is special about the range of soft drinks and to make the ingredients the hero.
Six labels were created using this phrasing, and each featuring its own cheerful colourway. The brand has also upped its “made in London” positioning and the tactile label, which curves around the bottle in a D shape, tells the story of the brand and highlights the natural ingredients sourced from Ridley Road Marketin Dalston.
Client partner at B&B Kerry Bolt said: “There was a balance we had to strike. We wanted to retain some of the raw, edginess of the brand, what makes it exciting, but also express its expert credentials in an interesting way. This would elevate the brand proposition and get it out there. We also wanted to be truthful to the original product and to the passion behind the brand which puts the ingredients first, without conforming to tiresome craft clichés.”
And creative partner Shaun Bowen added: “The new identity had to express what is amazing about the product – the care and attention that goes into each bottle. We were able to highlight the brand’s hands-on process through the logo rather than layering on overly reassuring handmade messages.
“The colour palette was equally important as we wanted vibrant, modern, eye-catching colours, but we also wanted to ensure we didn’t lose any of the naturalness of the product.”
Dalston’s founder Duncan O’Brien adds: “B&B’s approach has made Dalston’s feel more like a matured, established brand, while retaining its hand-made, edgy feel. The design, which ignores the obvious craft messages, will really help it stand out from its competitors.”
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