Mac & Jack’s

Agency: Doubleknot Creative
Creative Director: Jim Craig
Creative Principal: Jim Carey
Creative Principal: Mark Anderson
Senior Designer: Susan Phillips
Brand Strategist: Zak Menkel
Location: United States
Project Type: Produced
Client: Mac & Jack’s Brewing Company
Product Launch Location: Global
Packaging Contents: Beer
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Aluminum

To say we were honored to help evolve one of the Northwest’s most iconic craft beer brands is an understatement. We were straight-up giddy. For over 25 years, Mac & Jack’s has been quietly producing truly exceptional beer, with a fierce commitment to independence and quality. They’d never been the kind of people to toot their own horns, but with plans to enter the retail market in a big way, it was time to turn the volume up on their story. Our partnership included foundational brand strategy, messaging, a new visual identity, social media marketing and naming and packaging for several all new beers. We also refreshed their website. Whew… after all that we need a beer.

Said Jim Craig, Creative Director, “Beer brands need flexible identity systems, because their branding has to fit so many form factors. We designed the Mac & Jack’s visual identity to easily flex and adapt to different applications while remaining cohesive and iconic.”

From the beginning, we knew that success meant staying true to who they are—as people and a brand. We wanted to maintain the grit and quiet confidence and make a nod to their history. But we also knew this had to feel like something new. The craft beer aisle is a battleground for consumer attention, and these cans would take no prisoners. The new corporate identity evolved their iconic lion emblem into a retro-cool icon and the package design is visually striking without being gimmicky. The new brand, packaging and marketing began to roll out in Spring 2019, with the launch of their new beers. So far, the only challenge has been keeping it on the shelf. Cheers to that!