the local spirit, bottled
Rumbustian is one of a small but growing number of rum producers taking the spirit in an exciting new direction: Low volume, premium production. We’ve collaborated with co-founders Sue & Jamie Keenan to create a compelling new visual identity that truly represents the handcrafted nature and strong provenance of the brand.
- Client / Rumbustian
- Work / Brand
- Year / 2019
Rumbustian is a handcrafted range of small batch rums produced in the heart of Old Town, Hastings on the Sussex Coast. A modern, unique blend of both fresh and aged rums from Jamaica, Guyana and the Dominican Republic, Rumbustian shuns the use of artificial flavourings, additives and essences in any of the spicing and blending processes. The rum is infused using only the finest whole natural ingredients.
Provenance
Provenance
Our new brand identity for Rumbustian captures the true character and personality that is synonymous with Hastings. Bottle closures have been hand dipped in black wax and a bold ‘stacked’ brand mark has been created for maximum impact behind bar. The thick natural paper stock combines with a deep debossed foil stamp to create a distinctive and tactile look and feel.
Distinctive
The iconic black weather-boarded fisherman’s huts that populate the Hastings beachfront feature front and centre and form the canvas for the artisanal yet contemporary brand mark. The illustrated provenance story continues around the full extent of the label to include other local landmarks such as the castle, funicular railway and traditional fishing boats.
Strong varianting and brand consistency have been achieved by employing the same debossed illustration paired with coloured natural label substrates to represent each specific rum blend
Delivering a bold and distinctive, yet single minded brand identity was essential. Whilst the brand has high aspirations for the future, predominantly all sales are currently through E-Commerce, so the design had to cut through digitally. Keeping the debossed black foil illustration consistent across all variants delivered strong range synergy and helped keep investment costs to a minimum.
“This is a really exciting and important new launch for us, and the bottles are selling very well! PB has completely captured the essence of Rumbustian and brought the character of our rums and their provenance to life. We’ve been mindful of all aspects of production such as eliminating plastic from our wrapping, seals and bottle stoppers. We also have an empty bottle return / recycling community scheme with money raised going to Dom’s Food Mission, a local charity helping to feed the community and combat food waste.
Our blend is perfect for sipping on its own, in a cocktail or with your favourites mixer and it now has a new brand identity worthy of its quality.”
Jamie Keenan, Co-founder Rumbustian
Rumbustian
awards & recognition
| Total | Awarding Body | Award Name |
|---|---|---|
|
2
|
World Rum Awards 2020 | Gold, Best label design / Best Relaunch, Re-design |
|
1
|
Transform Awards 2021 | Highly Commended, Best Visual Identity |