Flavorman Branding

THE CHALLENGE

Flavorman is the benchmark for innovation in the beverage and flavorings industry. Flavorman is an educator, visionary, and expert in the craft of flavor science, with three distinct brands: Flavorman, Moonshine University, and Stave & Thief Society.

Their growth over the last 30 years has established them as international leaders, and our partnership has resulted in a refreshed brand that positions them accordingly.

Logo system, before & after:

Our Approach

Like creating the perfect flavor profile, creating a brand strategy and multiple brand identities that work together in concert is a serious craft. We utilized our proven brand strategy and identity methods to arrive at our conclusion. The process works like this:

Phase 1: Brand Strategy

• Immersion
• Semantic Differential
• Brand Concept
• Brand Hierarchy

Phase 2: Visual & Verbal Identity

• Logo, Logo Variants, Lockups
• Color Palette(s)

Phase 1 - Brand Strategy

We started our brand strategy project by thoroughly reviewing their existing brands, websites, collateral, and more.

Immersion

Steeping ourselves into the organization and blending with the people who will carry the brand forward is critical to creating a brand that rings true. We steeped ourselves in all things Flavorman at their facility: learning about the flavor concentrate industry, their processes, their team members and roles, and how they develop new products and business. Following this initial research phase, we got to work!

Getting to the Essence

One of the not-so-secret sauces of our brand strategy process is the Semantic Differential. The Semantic Differential workshop measures a group's perception of their current brand while providing input on where the future brand should aspire.

Brand Concept

The final output of the brand strategy phase of this project was putting together a series of brand concepts for the client to choose from.

A Brand Concept is a "Big Idea" that guides all future brand expression: Brand Identity, Core Messaging, and any future brand-based work.

The chosen concept for the Beverage Campus was "Develop Your Dream Beverage." It focuses on the partnership between the organization and its clients and the outputs of the partnership.

This new brand strategy, combined with a revised positioning, informed a revised brand hierarchy: Flavorman would remain the flagship brand, with Moonshine University and Stave & Thief able to exist beneath it as part of the larger "Beverage Campus" or on their own, depending on the audience.

Phase 2 - Brand Visual & Verbal Identity

With Phase 1 of the project completed, our Design and Strategy teams began working on the new Brand Identity.

Logo, Logo Variants, Lockups

Flavorman, Stave & Thief, and Moonshine U all needed strong independence from each other while also maintaining a design language and aesthetic that would provide cohesion between the brands.

The new logos pay homage to the history of the Flavorman logo from its original 80s look through the early aughts redesign, arriving at a timeless look that will carry the brand forward through the decades to come.

The new Flavorman logo was inspired by what was already established, and it incorporates the globe and droplet that have always represented Flavorman while offering space to Moonshine University and Stave & Thief in the design system.

The Moonshine University mark was designed to resemble barrels used in various spirit aging processes that the institution educates its users about.

Meanwhile, the Stave & Thief mark was designed to represent a high-end bar glass. The family of marks represents the full scope of Flavorman's beverage expertise, ranging from education to certification to development.

Color Palette

With the new logos and marks selected, our design team worked on selecting primary colors for each brand. The selected colors needed to be bold and eye-catching while working well together when the brands are presented side-by-side.

We selected a bold blue for Flavorman, a rich navy for Stave & Thief, and a goldenrod for Moonshine University.

After the brand identity phase, the new brand became a unique representation of its value, further established by embracing a brand-specific color while visually calling back to the Flavorman logo as the parent.

Thus, the Beverage Campus's visual identity was created. A flexible, strong, and dynamic system to represent established, creative experts of their craft. The Beverage Campus isn't going anywhere. And now, they have a timeless brand identity and design system to grow alongside them.

Change isn't always easy. Especially when you are as established as Flavorman in the beverage industry, that's why we took an evolution approach. Leaning into a design system for each mark helped the three brands feel like a "campus" while retaining an individual identity that could stand independently and reflect their service offerings.

Client Reaction

The client absolutely loved the final executions. A new logo is always a significant change, but the thoughtfulness of the work and the compelling case presented convinced our client team that change was necessary.

With the launch of the new brand, Flavorman has begun integrating the new brand strategy and identity across its business, including opening its new, expanded facility in 2023.

If you are in need of a brand refresh and don't know where to start, contact VIA Studio today to learn more about our process and see how we can work together to elevate your business!

Check out part 2 of this case study below, recapping the website projects for Flavorman, Moonshine University, and Stave & Thief. In each instance, VIA Studio worked with the client to do more than just update the look and feel of their websites. We worked with the client to improve conversions, make their admin tasks more accessible, and help the websites better tell the individual brand AND Beverage Campus story.

“I've been dreaming of bringing our 3 brands to this level ever since I started here over 7 years ago. I can't express how excited I am to finally see that dream come to life. What an incredible team — I couldn't be more proud or more excited for what we've achieved and built together. This journey has just begun, and I'm truly grateful that it started with the amazing group of individuals at VIA.”

— Jordan Plappert, Marketing Manager

Flavorman & Moonshine University Websites

Adding a Little Flavor

Formulating an improved Digital Presence for the Beverage Campus through a unified design language and user experience.

See case study