
How a Hawaiian Beer Brand Popped Open the Seltzer Market
Kona Brewing Co. is Hawaii’s answer to the craft beer scene. With iconic brews evocative of the island life and environment, Kona has created die-hard fans across the US and around the world. But recent US beer sales have declined as the hard seltzer market exploded—and Kona knew this trend was here to stay. While the tendency for a new seltzer line may have been to lean into the ubiquitous white packaging of leaders like White Claw and Truly, we led the team in branding their line of Spiked Island Seltzer the Kona way. Instead of simply making Kona fit into the seltzer category, we defined what hard seltzer was for Kona. By leveraging the brand’s story, we were able to disrupt the crowded seltzer can shelf line-up, and introduce a new option to Kona’s Ohana and hard seltzer drinkers alike.
CLIENT
Kona Brewing Co.
WHAT WE DID
Brand Strategy
Brand System
Illustration
Package Design
COLLABORATORS
Jill DeHaan, Hand Lettering