A new brand in the whiskey category can’t pull punches. Especially if it wants to sell big both in its hometown and across the nation. Third Wind is a family-owned distillery with an all-American, authentic ethos and rich connection to home. They’re proof that tenacity, grit and an unwavering sense of self are what success is built on. They just had to put that story out there.
New to the whiskey market, but not to whiskey, this family-owned distillery had a great product, a compelling story, and a multi-generational connection to their Bay City, MI hometown. Their brand needed to leverage their shared history and home-grown pride. But with substance and interest enough to compete on a national scale.
A great brand is always more than skin-deep. Delivering a great-looking identity is the bare minimum. To tap the local and national markets we had to go deeper than looking good on the shelf.
Through a brand development workshop, research and collaboration, we discovered they’re all about authenticity, heritage and strong local roots. Bay City locals from way back, they’d begun distilling as a way to spend time together. Their story is one of perseverance, drive and connection – all the factors that today’s consumers expect a brand to embody, and are willing to pay a premium for. The brand had to be rooted in this.
Naming was tough in this busy space. After a few iterations with legal we landed on Third Wind, with its evocations of pushing through together in tough times – and a nod to Bay City grit. Branding, identity, web, packaging design and merch followed. These centered around the family’s history and heritage, yet with plenty to appeal to those outside the inner circle. Bay City roots are referenced in a bold take on the maritime code of signals, an eye-catching system of symbols rich with meaning for the seafaring crowd – and yet striking when encountered on a major metro bar shelf. Gutsy language and locally anchored motifs that speak to that all-American trait of sheer dogged determination abound.
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WHAT THE FUCK
WE'RE A PASSIONATE DESIGN TEAM LIVING LIFE TO THE FULLEST, HONORING THE CRAFT THAT WE LOVE AND GETTING OUR HANDS DIRTY AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. WE ARE AN AWARD-WINNING STUDIO CREATING UNCOMMON, EMOTIONALLY RELEVANT CONCEPTS AND DESIGNS. OUR WORK HAS LED TO CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS WITH PATRONS FROM SMALL START-UPS TO ESTABLISHED ORGANIZATIONS WITHIN ARTS AND CULTURE, MUSIC, FOOD, BEVERAGE, FASHION, CONSULTING, PUBLISHING AND ADVERTISING.
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