Case Study: North Jetty Brewing
When we’re asked to update a client’s branding, the finished product—the reworked logo, the updated website, the new beer label—could easily be the end of the story. But when Erik and Michelle at North Jetty Brewing asked us to update the brewery’s maritime-inspired bell logo a few years back, the revamped emblem was just the start of a story that’s still being told today.
North Jetty opened in 2014 on the Long Beach Peninsula, just a few miles north of the mouth of the Columbia River. In the years since, they’ve cultivated a devoted following, regularly impress at beer festivals around the region, and are a well-loved local staple.
So when Erik and Michelle approached us about updating their iconic logo, we thought about how to preserve the integrity of the image and retain that distinctive look without overhauling the existing (and successful!) North Jetty brand.
After years of working with Erik and Michelle, we knew the duo was friendly, down to Earth, and—this is important—tattooed. That affinity for ink quickly inspired us to look back decades to tattoo art made popular by Norman Collins—more commonly known as Sailor Jerry. (Collins was the artist who developed the classic “sailor tattoo” look—distinguished by scroll banners, anchors, hula girls, booze bottles, dice, and pin-up girls.)
The redesigned logo, still in use today, gives the bell a bit more definition and moves the “North Jetty” wordmark onto a Sailor Jerry-type scroll banner that’s draped across the bottom of the bell. It’s effective, clean, and memorable—not unlike North Jetty’s Yellow Boots Kolsch.
We presented the updated logo, Erik and Michelle loved it, and we all celebrated with a cool pint of North Jetty’s Leadbetter Red Scottish-style Ale.
And normally, that’s where the story would end. But that’s the thing about ZZeppelin: Even when we finish one project for our clients, we never actually stop working for our clients.
See, when a client comes to us with a new project, we always ask ourselves, “What else can we do?” We want to see our brands succeed, and we don’t charge consulting fees—freeing us up to get a feel for where our clients are at, brainstorm alongside them, share ideas, workshop solutions together, and collaborate in a way you just don’t see with other agencies. We hang our hat on putting the success of our clients first—so every new project is a chance to see just how big we can dream together.
Previous North Jetty design prior to working with ZZeppelin
ZZeppelin can design for Ledbetter Red
ZZeppelin can design for Honorable Mention IPA
Take North Jetty: Many times, clients come to us with a simple logo redesign—and then, weeks or months later, think about updating the rest of their branding and marketing collateral. So as soon as the brewery suggested a new logo, we knew it could be the first step in a process, rather than the process itself.
We presented a few supplemental graphics, designed to complement the new logo, and suggested other ways we could help with branding: We incorporated the Sailor Jerry elements into a map that would become the basis for North Jetty’s first canned beer, for instance, and developed a branded banner to unfurl at beer festivals. And those conversations are continuing; don’t be surprised to see us come up with cool new ideas for North Jetty going forward.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work:
Ashley Jhaveri: Design concept, design execution, copywriting, brand direction, delivery, photography for social media
Michael Perozzo: Project oversight, editing, art direction, social media implementation
Andrew Cooper: Social media campaign direction and execution