Jagermeister and the Deer

Jagermeister is a digestif (helps with digestion) spirit that is made with herbs and spices. It has been around since 1935 and is made in Germany. Jagermeister means "hunt-master."



I once was doing a liquor promotion a few years ago and a store manager told me the story of why there is a deer on the logo...not sure how true it is but it does seem interesting. The man who created Jag, Wilhelm Mast, loved to hunt deer and was known for his many "prizes" on his walls. One day he went hunting and aimed his rifle at a deer when suddenly, the deer glowed and a cross was showing in between its antlers. Mast put the gun down and from that day forward decided he wanted to create a digestif.

The closest font to Jag is called German Gothic. I feel like the s in the label looks more like an f, the Uppercase J looks like an F and the r's look more like c's, making it close to the font Wilhelm K...sch LT Std. There are too many added serifs to the letters that it looks somewhat confusing as to what it says (at first glance). Also notice how the J descends more than the g and the g descends more than the s. I personally think a better font for the bottle-- keeping up with its old-fashioned tradition-- would be Wittenber...tur MT Std or Goudt Text MT Std because they are more readable.

Can you see the "confusion" of some of the letters in the logo? Do you like the font or would you change it?

Sources:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%A4germeister



http://www.abstractfonts.com/font/6977

Got a little captain in you?

Everyone has had a little Captain in them at one point or another! Captain Morgan is a Puerto Rican Rum that was introduced to the U.S. in 1984. It was named after Sir Henry Morgan, who made a name in the Caribbean as a leader of privateers and was also known as a dangerous pirate. It comes in Original Spiced Rum, White Rum, Black Label, Tattoo, Parrot Bay, Private Stock, 100 Proof and Silver Spiced.

Fun facts:

- Captain Morgan is the #1 selling spirit in Minnesota AND sells more in Minnesota than the other 49 states!

- There is an actor who plays the "National Captain Morgan" and goes state to state promoting the brand at bars for major events!

The logo font is called Thalia. The background of the font also creates a shadow. I like how the M stands out to emphasis the name more. The serifs are also very short and brisk. The contrast seems to stay throughout the font. The negative is I feel that the font should look a little more old fashioned like San Marco LT Std or Wittenber...tur MT Std.

Do you guys like this font on the CM bottle? If you had to choose another font for the bottle, what would it be?

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Morgan

http://www.answers.com/topic/henry-morgan

U.S. Concepts/MKTG/Diageo Product notes

Crown Royal Typography

Crown Royal is a top-selling Canadian Whiskey and the #6 selling spirit brand in the U.S. It was made by local distributors Seagram to honor King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth during the Royal Tour of Canada in 1939. The bottles are crown-shaped and are placed in an adorned purple bag. Crown Royal comes in Original, Crown Royal Special Reserve, Crown Royal XR and Crown Royal Cask No. 16. The taste in each is different depending on the process and aging of the whiskies.

All 4 bottles share the same font. The font is similar to Palace Script MT Std. I like the long, elegant strokes of the tail in the R. The diagonal stress is noticeable in the o and the a. All letters are very feminine to look at.

What other things do you notice about the letters that you like?

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crown_Royal

U.S. Concepts/MKTG/Diageo product notes.

Shakers Vodka Typography

First, a little background: Shakers Vodka is an award-winning spirit and is made in Benson, MN (3 hours west of Minneapolis) by Infinite Spirits. Introduced in 2003, the bottles are frosted and are a reminiscent of a classic martini shaker during the 1930s art deco era. The bottles are also known to have the emblem of the elegant penguin with a bow tie representing prosperity. The Vodka comes in Wheat, Rye, Rose. Special edition vodka based liqueurs are called "Winter" (raspberry-honey) and the "Summer" (citrus-passion fruit).

Fun notes: The Wheat is sweet and the Rye is dry. DO NOT sample the Rose straight because it tastes like perfume! Mix it was a cordial [i.e. Bailey’s, Cask n Cream] to really bring out the sweet flavor. The three vodka bottles below were introduced in 2003 (left to right: Rye, Rose, Wheat):

Just as the bottle was inspired by the deco art era, so was the font. The era was characterized by graceful, stylized and geometric shapes. The closest font type used for the logo is called ITC Anna. The font is very classy and old-fashioned. I like how the letters are stretched and stick out. The strokes in each letter are all even, the arms are tall and the legs are short. The bar is not in the middle of the letter but lower. The counters are very thin. My favorite letter is the "K" because of how the stroke of the arm starts out thick and ends thin, the stroke of the leg starts thin and ends thick.

In 2006 the designers changed the label of the bottle:

I personally do not like the new look of the label to date. The rounded, half red half grey colors are the same on all 3 bottles, whereas the 2003 labels had a long rectangular shape; the Wheat with the blue background, the Rye with the red background and the Rose with the silver background. The font used is Futura Medium. It is more edgy and pointy and doesn't give it much of a classy look. Also noticeably there are no bars on the A's and the bar is slightly higher on the E. The cap height of the A is higher while the V sinks below the baseline.

Which label do you guys like better, the ones from 2003 or the present?

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakers_vodka

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_March_30/ai_114746545/

http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:eyq6ibDFGEoJ:www.itcfonts.com/Ulc/3012/ArtDecoTypestyles.htm+1930s+deco+era+typography&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

http://www.itcfonts.com/Fonts/Detail.htm?pid=202657

Typography in Spirit Labels

Wikipedia defines "spirit" as a distilled beverage or liquor that is a drinkable liquid containing ethanol that is produced by means of distilling fermented grain, fruit, or vegetables.

I choose this topic because I have been working in the liquor industry since 2003 and I absolutely love educating people on different liquor brands! So I decided to challenge and educate myself further (and YOU) about why the font is chosen and how it has evolved over the years. I also want to very briefly educate you about what I have learned about certain brands over the past 6 years to make it more fun!

Let's get started!....