Earlier this week, on their 25th birthday, Jopen unveiled a new logo and labels for their core range. According to commercial director Lydian Zoetman the previous logo from 2014, the one with the Jacobus church in which the horecabrewery is housed, was “in need of renewal”.

The new logo was designed by design agency van Heertum Design VHD. They were instructed to create a logo that fits better with the current image of Jopen and translate that into the label. “When we started our brewery, craft beer was almost exclusively drunk by people over the age of forty,” said director Michel Ordeman. “That has changed completely. Our new fans are much younger, they are millennials. We are progressive in many areas and our old logo did not convey that. ”

“In addition, it has literally become a ‘madhouse’ on the craft beer retail shelf after the craft brewers have sprung up like mushrooms in recent years,” adds VHD, Rob van Heertum. “The bottle really has to pop out and create stopping power.”

Logo

A contemporary logo has been chosen that stands for reliability and quality in keeping with Jopen’s mission and ambitions. The logo supports the leading and innovative role of Jopen within the craft beer landscape. It connects with a wider audience of (beer) drinkers, while naturally retaining the current, loyal Jopen beer lover.

Iconic J

The round shape of the logo is a nod to the 112 liter “Jopen” barrels from the Haarlem brewing heritage. The logo consists of two parts, an inner and an outer circle. The inner circle is the iconic “J”, which represents both the past and the future. The historic letter as a modern icon. The eye is drawn to this center that refers to the to-the-point attitude of Jopen.

Modern twist

The surrounding edge is used to emphasize the young and innovative appearance of the beer brand. The designation of the Jopen brand is repeated herein. Because of the positioning and repetition the brand is clearly visible and legible on a standing bottle, but also when drinking from a mouth-tilted bottle. The font is unique and the red color is recognizable for Jopen.

The outer also edge underlines the history and heritage of Jopen. The home base: “HRLM” (Haarlem), the year Jopen was founded: “1994”, and “craft beer” are all present. Finally, the whole outer circle represents the planned growth of Jopen. From the current market position, symbolically seen as the “J”, growth is started and the market expanded.

Labels and bottle

A hero position for the new logo has been created on the new clear labels. Centrally and cheekily it stares at you from the shelf. The logo literally separates itself from the single-colored background which refers to the flavour. The logo floats, surrounded by the beer that’s visible through the transparent circle, leaving it even more detached from the background.

The background colors are not just chosen randomly and link to the already known flavors of the Jopen core range. The round shapes are continued on the sides and the text is positioned with a curved shape like an old vinyl record. The “empty” back of the bottle leaves room for a lot of readable information and the necessary references, for example the awards that the beers have won.

Storytelling is of course part of craft beer and that has also been thought of in a modern way. On the colored background of the labels, left of the logo, Jopen personally addresses you with a statement about their “Anything but Boring” motto. On the right you will find feedback about the flavour and name of the beer. Different patterns are created based on the respective names of the different beers that have been incorporated into the label. The entire colored area on the labels is matte and the logo is glossy for extra standout. The different patterns are saved in this matte finish so that they shine and become visible if you have the bottle in your hand. They give each flavour its own characteristics and support the stories that you encounter while you read the labels, because that is a typical craft beer thing…. Discovering the story behind the beer while drinking it.

In summary: A bottle that  jumps out at you from the shelf, and does what it has to do in your hand. It creates an extra wow, gives you some interesting facts and creates a lot of enthusiasm.

Cheers!