Oyster City Brewing Company
Made by the water.
On the shores of the historic Apalachicola Bay–an estuary of salt and fresh water on Florida’s “Forgotten Coast” –is a place once heralded for the oysters hauled from the waters and shipped across the nation. Turns out, even after the oyster industry subsided, the waters of Apalachicola are still making a name for themselves and making a mark on those who sit alongside them.
Oyster City Brewing Company brought on the Devote team to capture the essence of the brand by distilling all that is Apalachicola into a brand so reminiscent of the place that one might feel connected to that particular piece of water, no matter where they are.
Devote developed a voice for the brand—including tag line and positioning statement—and established tone for communication, both internal and external.
Made by the Water, connects the person to the place—perhaps it’s Apalachicola, or perhaps its the formative place of their own life. As we extended the voice of the brand, Devote identified and developed a core values system rooted in the Oyster City style, carrying the sentiment of the brand throughout the company and into the public realm.
The new brandmark is inspired by a refined version of vintage oyster cans.
Through evocative brand language, a systematic approach to can design, thoughtful merchandise and brand extensions, and interior and exterior design of the brewery & taprooms themselves, Oyster City Brewing Company grew from a locally frequented haunt to an easily-recognizable Southern favorite.
Devote designed Oyster City’s cans as they made their debut on shelves across the Southeast.
As newcomers to the market, OCBC needed to stand out on the shelves, strike a curiosity with consumers, and represent the inherent quality of the beer–all at a glance and in a crowded field. Clean, simple, colorful—giving easy sightline to the brand mark for quick customer recognition. The cans are deeply inspired by Apalachicola and the oysterman narrative; particularly by the buoys deployed into the bay for harvesting oysters.
A rich interactive experience allowed users to feel the environment of Apalachicola.
To understand a sense of place from which this beer came, to inspire fans of the beer to remember the formative landmarks of their own lives.
Brand extensions sought to mirror the characteristics of the water and of the town: salty and fresh, gritty and modern. This beer is about all that is beloved in Apalachicola, and even more so, it is about what we as people remember most fondly of the places that made us.
