When designing the Strange Range logo it was important to highlight the personality of the brand to produce an authentic identity. Strange Range is a craft beer made locally in Colorado that appeals to the middle-class "everyday" Coloradan adventurist. With satirical humor geared towards the stereotypical Coloradan, Strange Range highlights the usefulness of their products in specific Colorado survival situations. The logo was designed to have a hand made crafted look to it because the product is hand made craft beer. The particular aesthetic was chosen to highlight the typical Colorado landforms and playful attitude of the brand. From the typography to the mountains, everything in the logo was hand made. The authentic typography can only be found in our logo, which helps to differentiate Strange Range from the competition. The typography is also a bit unusual for a logo because the word Range is read from right to left instead of left to right. This choice helps to lend itself to the brand name. There needed to be something "strange" about the logo to highlight our satirical and fun personality. The mountains in the logo were used because the iconic symbol of Colorado is the Rocky Mountains. This helps to position us as a Colorado handcrafted beer. The logo works well in black and white and in color. This allows it to have durability because it can be used in many situations ranging from the production of packaging and swag to the implementation of it on the website and motion pieces.
DEMOGRAPHIC
In order to define Strange Range's demographic it is crucial to first look at the beer drinking demographics within the United States. According to the brewer's handbook written by Ted Goldammer, beer-drinking demographics within the United States is male dominated. Goldammer explains that 80% of all of the beer consumed is attributed to male consumption. In addition, a large number of the males are primarily white. The business of micro-brews is booming. According to the article, Market Research and Advertising by Kent Wolfe he states, "Micro brewed consumers consume an average of $250 worth of beer annually. Younger people were more likely to have tried a microbrew. 36% of beer drinkers between the ages of 25 and 34 had tried a microbrew. In contrast, 27% of beer drinkers between the ages 34 through 45 and 20% of those 45 and older had tried microbrews." From this information it is clear that not only are microbrews popular, they reach a demographic of a younger adult. Microbrews also tend to be a little more expensive than mass-produced beer so we will have to target the middle class white American males and females. There also needs to be a focus on the local and unique qualities in our beer that attracts a person to our brand because of its familiarity. We need to create a local identity for our brand that attaches with it a sense of place. It needs to look and feel like Colorado.
Geographer Wes Flack has hypothesized, "that the growth of microbreweries is a prime illustration of a movement termed ‘neo-localism’ in which people are attempting to reconnect with the local, the personal and the unique." In the article, Microbreweries as tools of Local Identity, Steven M. Schnell and Joseph F. Reese define neo-localism as the active, conscious creation and maintenance of attachment to place. They go on to say that microbreweries are still on the rise partly because, "people in small ways are attempting to reclaim a sense of place and a distinct landscape in the face of our globalizing economy." Microbreweries provide a diverse array of ales that can be found nowhere else, creating a truly unique experience. Based on the above research Strange Range will be targeting its marketing efforts towards a dominated white male demographic. The particular demographic focus is on those white males who range from ages 24-39. The typical Strange Range customer will live in the city and play in the mountains. They can be defined as the middle-class weekend warrior who appreciates a good craft beer and enjoys the typical outdoor Colorado activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, biking, skiing and snowboarding.
When considering our approach to marketing to this specific Colorado demographic we must consider archetypes in our process. By choosing the right archetypes for our brand, it will help us to understand the dynamics of the category our brand operates in as well as help to connect our brand emotionally to our consumers. The archetypes that are consistent with our brand essence are the Jester and the explorer. The jester archetype is characterized as being fun, original and irreverent. True jester brands help us really live life in the present and allow us to be impulsive and spontaneous and they help people to have a good time. The explorer is characterized by being independent, adventurous and daring and represents self-discovery, trial and challenge. With our outdoor survival twist this archetype is also relevant to our brand.
