Although we work with a lot of whiskey and tequila brands, we have a soft spot in our hearts for rum. Rum has such an incredibly rich, diverse history and just never seems to get the attention it deserves. So when the founders of Trovador Rum reached out to help develop the brand from the ground up, it did not take much convincing.

We started the project with stakeholder interviews, moving into an elaborate process of positioning, which is crucial for any brand, but even more so when entering the highly competitive, crowded space of spirits. This step included establishing core principles that would drive the next steps as we began logo development and packaging. This was no beach-side brand. We pulled inspiration from the art deco architecture of Miami, the founder’s home town, and combined it with the theatrical to capture the troubadour spirit. The brand’s personality comes through on the label: a color palette and is warm and nostalgic without relying on cliche beach imagery that dominates the rum market.

Since we built a robust brand guide, complete with messaging, colors, patterns, shapes, and fonts, building everything that comes after was as smooth as a mojito. With everything we had learned and built for this brand, we moved on to crafting labels and packaging, a website, emails, sales collateral, and even some sweet merch that can be purchased online.