As part of my university Honours Project, I created a brand of rum; Cease & Sekkle.
Research into the UK alcohol industry found that industry experts had predicted that rum would be the next type of alcohol to experience a boom in popularity and sales, similar to that experienced by the gin & craft beer industry in recent years. Additionally, in-store sales of alcohol far exceeded those in bars, pubs and restaurants.
Furthermore, research into alcohol consumption found that ‘Baby Boomers’ have been reported to consume more alcohol than any other generational age group, with further ‘Boomer’ research finding that they have the most liberal spending habits of all generational groups, and are more likely to impulse buy when in-store.
However, primary research revealed a current aversion among ‘Boomers’ to the consumption of rum due to factors including potency, negative associations and ignorance of mixology options.
These issues were tackled by creating Cease & Sekkle; a brand of golden rum. Branding was produced by applying psychology in design principles to the typography, colours and imagery used. Furthermore, secondary research showed that consumers connected with brand stories and relatable brand values, which were created in response to primary research on the target market’s needs, wants and motivations for consuming alcohol.
_
Prior to designing any of the visual components for Cease & Sekkle, fundamental brand assets were created, in the form of a brand story, brand values, tone of voice, mission statement and more. These were then used to inform and inspire the design of the logo, labelling and copy. Furthermore, as a response to the target market lack of mixology knowledge, serving suggestion booklets were created. The cocktails featured were recommended by Head Bartender at Manchester restaurant El Gato Negro during an industry expert interview, with the recipes chosen being informed by the target market’s taste preferences. In addition to a recipe to follow, the reader is provided with a short brand story, a quote about the cocktail by Cease & Sekkle founder, Agwe, and is accompanied by photograph that displays the finishd cocktail which I produced.
_
In addition to the final designs, I have included images at the bottom of this page showcasing the designs produced in previous rounds of the logo and labelling creation.