Assignment: Design or redesign an identity system for an entity of the designer’s choosing, real or fictional. The entity I chose is Polar Seltzer, a soft drink company in Worcester, Massachusetts. Polar is known for manufacturing and distributing sparkling fruit beverages, seltzer, ginger ale, drink mixers, and spring water to consumers in the United States. The current seltzer and health drink market is full of modern, bright, and sleek branding. The current Polar branding is inconsistent and reminiscent of their original branding that was first introduced in the 1960s. My goal was to rebrand Polar Seltzers to be more contemporary, consistent, and eye-catching.
Approach: Beginning with brand research, wordlists, and mindmapping helped me arrive at icons, symbols, and things associated with Polar Seltzer. Using my research, I sketched using different techniques to produce unique results. Some methodologies included in my sketching were imagining my imagery doing an action verb. For example, one of my initial icons was a can. I then sketched how it would look if a can were to “splash” or “bend”. Other methodologies like combining imagery and exploring typography were used to decide on three directions to investigate. Within the investigation, I explored color palettes, moodboards, and how type could be incorporated. Through this exploration, I decided on one direction to pursue for my identity system redesign.
Result: The final work rejuvenates the brand, creating an appealing and simple design that catches the consumer’s eye. To accomplish this, I used the Havelock Titling Variable typeface, altering it to create a bubble within the “O” and a mountain within the “A”, also extending ascenders and descenders to achieve a sleek and dynamic look. I also used different color palettes for each flavor variation to help consumers identify their favorite flavors with just a glance. Designs were then applied to can, bottle, box, in-store display, and social media post mockups to show how the new design would be implemented.