Visual Identity Refresh

An evolving hard cider brand asks for a return to their roots

/ Woodchuck: Intro

Woodchuck

To celebrate 25 years in business, Woodchuck requested a revamp. For years, their Woodchuck, “Chuck,” had been the face of the brand: a lovable mascot to spearhead an approachable, trusted company. As the business evolved, Chuck was phased out. Woodchuck decided to replace Chuck with an apple, hoping to compete more seriously with its main competitor, Angry Orchard.

/ Woodchuck: The Challenge

Staying true to the consumer and the brand

Pabst Brewing Company had stepped up to acquire Woodchuck, which had fallen from its #1 spot as the top-selling hard cider in the United States — losing out to Angry Orchard. Hoping to return to their roots, Woodchuck Hard Cider wanted Chuck’s presence back in action, which meant a refresh of their logo, packaging, and label. With this, the company wanted to reposition the beverage, giving Chuck a more personality by identifying him as modern yet approachable.

/ Woodchuck: The Approach

From the ground up

Partnering with Amalgam, we started by exploring Woodchuck’s history of design and brand evolution, then created a woodcut illustration of Chuck holding their main ingredients: apples.

Standing out in a crowded market

The woodcut helps to highlight the authentic heritage and craftsmanship of this Vermont brand. Shadows and highlights give Chuck a more mischievous look, adding to his character.

The labeling system was designed to accommodate the five core cider varieties Woodchuck offers, as well as seasonal and limited editions ciders. We simply swapped out the pop color, graphic pattern and cider name while maintaining the overall brand language.

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/ Woodchuck: The Outcome

Brand Awareness

The updated look has propelled Woodchuck Hard Cider to aggressively compete with the industry’s leading brands. Following the rebrand, Chuck experienced an immediate increase in both sales and market share.

/ Woodchuck: The Outcome

Innovation and beyond

An elevated brand gave the company a continued opportunity to make a strong mark on the cider industry. Rather than stick to simple flavors of ciders, Woodchuck Hard Cider began innovating, creating a limited edition series inspired by seasons, flavors and so on. These experiments worked well with Woodchuck’s desire to present itself as a modern yet approachable brand: the experiments aren’t avante garde, instead, they’re fun, lively, yet familiar.

The visual brand language was designed to accommodate these series. By sticking with the round center lockup at the core and making the name, background color and pattern interchangeable as needed, Woodchuck Hard Cider can quickly and easily differentiate a series as desired.