A legend
brought
to life
Charter Oak Brewing company was created in 2012 and has become a leading small brewer in Connecticut. BrandSmyth developed key insights from the brewer’s desire to speak about his beer honestly while making the freshest beer possible. Additionally, since Connecticut has made important contributions to our nations historical narrative, we felt leveraging a specific story from our past would interesting and ownable for beer lovers. The resulting strategy was expressed in the tag line "Charter Oak - A True Legend" which lacked the typical category ‘hyperbolic’ language on pack as well as the accurate shade and beer statistics shown.
Design exploration
The identity exploration focused on package design as the primary consumer touch-point. This work show a typical design project and are indicative of the depth of exploration to be expected. Additional design credit: Jason Larche.
Final packaging
The final packaging design innovated callouts and infographics that helped the consumer shop the line, and at the time were entirely new to the craft beer category. Additionally, the strong brand architecture helped Charter Oak form a visual block and break through the busy shelf.
Multi-packs
The shipper and the variety pack were used to greatly extend the visibility of the brand at retail.
Cans & limited editions
These limited editions helped spread the appeal of the brand and gave a vehicle to expand the brand narrative. All variants and limited editions tell a different part of the Connecticut's Charter Oak legend.
Other materials
Point-of-sale banners helped dive in-store traffic to tastings and events. The also helped consumers capture the underpinnings of the brand: Freshness & Honesty. Additional special editions were offered on a seasonal basis.
