ABOUT

CHALLENGE
Italy has seen a remarkable blossoming of small and independent craft breweries in recent years. Masticamaro is a new brand that took over the former production plant of one of the oldest Italian artisanal breweries in Prato, Tuscany. The three young owners burst enthusiasm for everything beer and want to claim back its natural identity: a simple, fun drink that brings people together and isn't meant to be fussed over.

SOLUTION
The name Masticamaro literally translates as "chew bitterness", an invitation to drink beers that are tasteful rather than bland commercial products. We looked at the world of early 20th century advertising for Italian aperitifs, where the strong use of character design made them widely popular and memorable at the same time. The Masticamaro character design embodies all the positive qualities of beer, it is heavily stylised so that it can be easily drawn by anybody, and adapts to each label bringing to life a different personality and setting suggested by the names and styles of the beers. The lettering Masticamaro is inspired by the futurist art movement and embraces its principles of movement and dynamics, enhanced by the zig zag that cuts the bottom half of the letters and hints at an open mouth with sharp teeth.

RESULT
Masticamaro will start trading at the beginning of 2017 targeting both the domestic and export markets. They are also owners of a pub in nearby Pistoia that will be transformed into the Masticamaro taproom.