BUNKER HILL breweries rebrand

This project reimagines the legacy of Bunker Hill Breweries, originally founded in 1821, through a contemporary lens. In reviving a defunct brand, I explored the intersection of heritage and modern identity and modern identity, positioning Bunker Hill as a brewery for today’s blue collar workers, celebrating resiliance, craftsmanship and community. Inspired by the historic Bunker Hill monument and traditional printmaking techniques I developed a visual identity that honors the brand’s roots while appealing to a mondern audience. The logo, hand drawn to reflect authenticity and grit anchors a system that emphasizes legacy through bold typography, industrial textures and a timeless color palette.

Prelim and samples from the previous ‘brand

Printing technology had significant limitations at the time that “Bunker Hill Breweries” was an active company, that made the concept of a unified brand identity difficult to achieve. At the time, most printing was done using letterpress, which involved setting type and images by hand. Color printing was rare and expensive, typically limited to one or two colors, so most materials were produced in black and white or with minimal embellishment. Detailed logos, consistent typography, and complex graphics weren’t practical or common, simply because the technology didn’t allow for easy reproduction of intricate designs. Each printed piece, like labels or advertisements, might look slightly different depending on the printer or the available materials. This lack of consistency made it hard for businesses to establish a strong visual identity, and instead, they focused more on names, slogans, or symbols that could be easily reproduced with the tools of the time. So for Bunker Hill Breweries, any early branding would have been simple and utilitarian, shaped by printing constraints and aesthetic choices.

This logo is a bold visual homage to American Revolutionary history, blending traditional and contemporary design elements to evoke a sense of heritage and resilience. The design centers around the iconic Bunker Hill Monument, rendered in a stylized, vintage etching style, with historic Boston architecture in the background, anchoring the composition in its colonial roots. The use of Blackletter typography reinforces a strong historical narrative, referencing early American print and Gothic influences, while the striking black and blue color palette introduces a modern edge, creating a dynamic contrast that appeals to contemporary audiences.

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