Svöl Aquavit is a modern Scandinavian liquor with Brooklyn roots that pays homage to the spirit of Viking exploration and aquavit's centuries of history, while also drawing from modern distillation advancements.
Svöl partnered with experts in Scandinavian cuisine and beverage alcohol production to create the finest examples of aquavit made in the regional styles. The botanicals used in every Svöl Aquavit are selected and sourced from around the world by Gunnar Gíslason, owner of Michelin starred Dill Restaurant in Reykjavik, and Jonas Andersen, Beverage Manager for MeyersUSA. The distillation and botanical extraction techniques were developed in partnership with Allen Katz at New York Distilling Co in Brooklyn, NY, where Svöl is made on a 1000L copper still.
Americano was tasked with creating an ownable brand that was both culturally accurate, yet tailored for American markets. We crafted the entire visual identity—including packaging and creative direction for Svöl Aquavit. Each varietal of Svöl is based on a Scandinavian region and reflects the unique characteristics of the native Vikings and landmarks. Noting that Vikings often navigated their endeavors using their five senses, touch was incorporated into the label through embossing and foil stamping. Smell was prevalent between the varietals using fragrant dill and caraway, each creating a unique and complex taste that stands on its own and is flexible in cocktails. Skål!
Flower Mortician is a one-of-a-kind floral design boutique located in Los Angeles. Specializing in floral installations and editorial, we created a brand identity for Flower Mortician that was as unique as her family history—which includes a human mortician.
Client: Flower Mortician
Location: Los Angeles
Website: www.flowermortician.com
Service: 1-day Brand Intensive
Star Insights is a strategic advisory firm focused on helping those who are improving the world we live in—and leave behind.
We helped Star Insights grow into their shoes to find themselves, visually and verbally. Their brand identity needed to match the unparalleled service and detail they give their clients—each one feeling like they’re the only client Star Insights takes on.
To break through the noise of bland consulting firms, we created a content strategy simultaneously with a brand identity that refused to abide by outdated traditions. The result: Star Insights now has a humanistic brand identity and voice to match their premium expertise.
Client: Star Insights
Location: Los Angeles
Website: www.starinsights.com
Service: 1-day Brand Intensive
The situation —
How do some of the biggest brands make the decisions that they do? Gradient is a lean team of data scientists that has helped big brands like Estée Lauder and Nike make informed decisions on whether to keep or kill a product based on measured analytics. A hidden gem living between the traditional market research and data science world, Gradient needed a brand identity as unique as them.
The solution —
Our approach was different this time around since nothing similar existed. We hopped in the DeLorean and designed from a feeling instead of existing design examples.
We turned our left brains on and discovered a unique feature of Gradient: they were using a heavy-duty program unaltered from 1985 to collect and output their research. Taking this and the prompt to look like “IBM in the 1980s if IBM in the 80s was cool,” we knew this was a request that made logical and conceptual sense to break through the corporate noise of larger research firms.
The bottom line —
Our creative process is flexible & adaptable, resulting in design with depth and unique brand identities for every single client.
Client: Gradient Metrics
Location: New York City
Website: www.gradientmetrics.com
Ventobot is a conversation-focused agency based in Colorado Springs that helps subscription-based companies convert and engage customers through chat bot automation. The challenge was to create a brand identity that made chat bots approachable and human; instead of cold and robotic. After completing our Brand Intensive, Ventobot now has a complete identity and voice unlike any other and makes chatting with a bot, less like chatting with a bot.
Client: Ventobot
Location: Colorado Springs
Website: www.ventobot.com
Service: 1-day Brand Intensive
Kōjō is a new brand of CBD products that takes an elevated approach to wellness.
Client: Kōjō
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Website: www.kojonaturals.com
Offering: Brand Identity & Product Development
The situation —
Bedell Cellars was swiftly bucking the notion that good wine doesn’t come from Long Island by producing high-quality wine on a family-run vineyard in North Fork. All they needed was the brand identity and consistency to reflect their attention to detail and put them on a level playing field.
The solution —
Consumers decipher wine quality based on their perceptions like price, professional recommendations, or the label itself. Combining the three decision points, we created a high-quality brand identity that would get the attention and recommendation of professionals and justify a bottle price increase without changing the production process Bedell had in place already.
As a result, an average bottle cost went from $35/bottle to $55/bottle, setting a clear return on investment for the design project and a growing increase in brand equity. Bedell Cellars wine was also served at Obama’s inaugural luncheon and is the official wine of MoMA.
The bottom line —
Americano can increase your brand equity to match the high-quality product or service your business offers.
Client: Bedell Cellars
In collaboration with: Athletics
Location: North Fork, Long Island
Website: www.bedellcellars.com
Service: Adhoc label design & logo
The situation —
At a time when popularity meant millions of followers, sold out shows, or personal security guards, Adidas set out to redefine what it meant to be a superstar and reestablish the cultural relevance of the Superstar shoe. Once known for its place in rebellious street culture, Adidas needed to reassert its dominance and connect with a new generation unfamiliar with its history.
The solution —
Working alongside Johannes Leonardo & Caviar, we took the concept and iterated what this looks like translated to a flexible digital and print campaign. We took the small, but bona fide, elements that make Adidas what it is: signature Adidas shoe details, copy lines handwritten by the Superstars themselves, and layouts that were flexible across traditional formats and broke the norm for how advertisements should look.
The bottom line —
Americano puts the future forward—we make flexible designs with strong concepts to evolve over time. Our team is agile and capable of large-scale projects.
Client: Adidas
Location: Global
Website: www.adidas.com
Service: Advertising campaign concept contribution & layout design
The situation —
In a world of excess, GAP needed to find a way to stand out to drive sales for the 2015 holiday season.
The solution —
An out-of-home (OOH) campaign, created alongside Untitled Worldwide, spanned across New York City and Los Angeles that encouraged holiday shoppers to share their gift; creating priceless memories in the comfort of a GAP holiday sweater. The campaign consisted of color blocking and an actual glitter applied to billboards, providing a double take on the traditional printed advertising.
The bottom line —
Our lean & agile team is capable of handling large-scale projects in numerous locations with consistency and ease.
Client: GAP
Location: Global
Website: www.gap.com
Service: Multi-city advertising campaign layout design & file print production
The situation —
CallText is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that caters specifically to smaller businesses. The sheer number of CRM platforms that exist out there is overwhelming, and a platform to keep the cash flow coming for a small business is a lifeline they depend on.
The solution —
Americano designed an approachable brand identity that communicated trust and simplicity. By having a professionally designed identity, CallText was able to increase their brand equity, creating the opportunity to charge slightly more than the competition for their quality service.
The bottom line —
Americano’s creative strategy cuts through the noise of competition by designing brand identities backed by research and positioning.
Client: CallText
Location: California
Website: www.calltext.com
Service: 1-day Brand Intensive
