When investor Shawn Wyns decided he wanted to launch a drink brand, he approached us to work on the strategy and design for a brand in the super-saturated beverage market.
After research and interviews, we realized there was an opportunity for a beverage that would be perceived as the anti-Red Bull. Inspired by surf culture in Baja, we set out to design a brand that felt as at home on store shelves as on the sand after a long day in the waves.
Based on our inspiration, we designed a brand that radiated the crisp, cool calm of paddling out on a surf board to scope the next wave. We wanted to capture the adventurous spirit of a van trip along the coast, diving time between catching waves and sampling local cuisine. The color palette was ocean-inspired, blues and deep teals, accented by hints of warm yellow. Wherever possible, we pulled shots of real athletes enjoying life in the waves.
Knowing action photography would be at the core of this brand, we used placeholder imagery that would need to be immediately re-shot for this brand to be accepted by the wider surf / snow community in San Diego. We did everything we could to curate shots that centered around the beauty of nature and the people who enjoy time in the sand & surf.
In mapping the brands in the "functional beverage" market, we discovered that almost all of the brands, besides a select few, focused on their product. We realized the big open area in the market is for a lifestyle brand anchored around the application of the products or ingredients. Everything was about the experience.