I do love a good rebrand. I also like the odd beer now and again. So it's pleasing to see Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame, having its first rebrand in over 18 years, created by Kent-based JDO. Check it out:
Gone is the red, blue, orange and white from the previous brand to just grey and gold in the new palette. The signature shepherd’s staff icon has been updated to include a hops leaf, while an arc has been incorporated over the top to represent the Kent countryside.
The wordmark has been updated to a more contemporary inline typeface and the logo as a whole has been cleaned up and stripped back. But what’s nice about this is that JDO has managed to retain the unique, organic look of the icon and the addition if the hop leaf gives it a more crafted feel as you would expect from a brewery with as much history as Shephard Neame, whose brand portfolio includes Spitfire, Whitstable Bay and Bishop’s Finger.
There’s not much to show in application as it’s only just begun rolling out across the Shepherd Neame pub and hotel estate nationwide, as well as its product ranges, merchandise and internal brand communications. But the execution on the exterior of the brewery and on the distillers looks sharp. The new identity will be rolled out on more collateral including the the website at a later date.
Previously the logo only sat off a red background. The new cleaner logo allows it to sit off a multitude of backgrounds and is flexible enough to be used in one colour gold, whiteout with inline gold off dark backgrounds, or black with inline gold for lighter backgrounds. Its this flexibility which will help make this new logo stand the test of time a lot better than its predecessor.
All in all, a solid update which modernises without losing its heritage.
David Huskison
David is the founder of DWH and is involved in all aspects of the design process from the initial creative concept through to final artwork stage. With over 20 years of experience working with agencies across the Midlands, his role is to provide significant creative injection into client projects. By personally delivering creative concepts, he ensures that client briefs are effectively executed and that the final project is delivered within budget.