Challenge: The company required a striking visual identity that honored old world brewery traditions while embracing a modern, distinctive flair.

Solution: We created a brand centered around a coat of arms design, featuring a unique mythological creature for each beer. The shield logo served as the focal point, with creatures flanking it, and each beer brand represented by specific colors and a Latin-inspired name such as “Claritas” (clarity). The name “Mike Hess” was consistently in black, with the coat of arms reflecting each beer’s unique hue.

The Execution: This design set Hess beers apart, particularly with the bold choice of white backgrounds on cans, creating strong shelf recognition among a market of full-color competitors.

As the craft beer market matured, Hess shifted from selling 4×16 ounce cans to 6×12 ounce cans. The reduced area for design required an evolution of the design. For that, Mth Design was engaged. The new design focused solely on the creature and logo, dropping the old world flourishes, resulting in a clean and strong design, maintaining brand equity and beer style connection with the creature.