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NYC's Established And SKYY Refresh The American Vodka Brand

by Rudy Sanchez on 05/11/2021 | 2 Minute Read

What began as an inventor’s pursuit for the perfect martini vodka, SKYY is now an international brand, quickly becoming a club staple and popular choice among the young and chic. San Fransico-based entrepreneur Maurice Kanbar not only came up with the filtration and distillation techniques that satiated his thirst for the perfect vodka martini, but he also developed the name SKYY and oversaw the bottle design, choosing a simple, slim cobalt bottle meant to highlight the new vodka’s purity.

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Founded in 1992 and a part of Campari Group’s portfolio of brands since 2009, SKYY is nearly 30 years old, and like those young, hip clubgoers of the 90s, the brand has matured. When SKYY first launched, it was a bold and innovative American premium vodka. But the product has grown into a successful and globally recognized spirit, and sensing a need for a makeover, enlisted the services of agency Established to give the spirits brand a new visual identity more in line with the brand’s current persona and the contemporary vodka consumer.

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Core branding components are retained, keeping with SKYY’s consistent minimalism. Established decided to refine the corporate blue, making it more natural and closer to the Pacific Ocean’s blue. The wordmark is adjusted and made neater, and they developed a custom font to get used across the brand, which compliments the logo while providing a more contemporary look.

They also designed a new bottle. Gone are the downward sloping shoulders, replaced with a level plane, adding strength and confidence. Ridges are a new addition to the bottle, a refinement that is also a call back to the waters that surround San Francisco. The neck gets shortened, and they replaced the plastic silver top with a more environmentally friendly and color-coordinated aluminum cap.

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Before
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After

SKYY’s new look is modern and refined, and the identity makes its San Fransisco roots even more evident, choosing nature and outdoors instead of the all-night party scene. Established helps SKYY realign the brand for a more contemporary vodka drinker with a crisp, more sophisticated, and mature look.

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