My new brand design for Shelter Distilling in Mammoth Lakes, CA is designed to emulate the distillery’s quality in-person experience. Shelter creates a space for young and old alike to enjoy the finest spirits in the Eastern Sierra Mountains.

The old branding of Shelter Distilling was problematic because there were so many different elements in one logo: a tent, a bottle with wings, leaves, and multiple fonts. I had no idea what this brand was about because there was so much going on. It made the logo look chaotic and unprofessional. I look at this logo, and I have no idea what they are conveying or trying to sell me. The best way to get people to rep the brand is by creating things that they actually use while also making them aesthetically pleasing. I think that aesthetics and function need to go hand in hand. Shelter already sells hats, sweatshirts, t-shirts, and cups — they figured out the functional element; I am now working on the aesthetics.

I surveyed a few regular customers of Shelter. I asked them to describe the experience they have when they go to the distillery. They described it as, “vibey”, “elite”, “enticing”, and “quality”. Walking into this distillery is like traveling to where the mountains meet the city. It gives you the laid back mountain feel that people leave the city to enjoy and gives you a cool and classy feel that you usually only find in the city. I took all of these brand associations and did my best to put them into the design. I used simple and elegant typography to suggest a youthful and hip identity. I added line art on both sides of the logo to create something a bit more playful or “vibey” — to tie together the quality of the in-person experience with a more trend-worthy look.

When I think of timelessness, I think of brands like Coca Cola and Swiss Airlines, which simply capture what one is trying to convey. The brand design I have created for this distillery may lean on the trendy side of design. Still, it is entirely inspired by the elements and essence of timeless design. That is the kind of design that people embrace and talk about for years and years, which I emulated here. My new brand design is simple and conveys an enduring feeling of contemporary sophistication. The lines are “sheltering” the text, and the typeface is straightforward. In a mountain town, people enjoy outdoor actives all year round. There is a great need for spaces where people can take a moment to shelter away from the outdoor activities. Shelter Distilling creates that kind of space for people to enjoy friends and family with excellent alcoholic beverages and food.

This design embeds brand identity in the simplest of forms. I created a straightforward website design that also has great functionality. The current website is confusing to navigate. I stripped it back to something simple and modern. I wanted to convey the brand identity right off the bat, with the site’s look and feel. My new branding for Shelter elevates the distillery’s public persona. It matches the quality of the product with the in-person experience. This was a speculative design, my connections with the founders and investors encouraged me to work really hard and create something great —just in case one day I decided to pitch it for real.