When retired lawyer Michael Lowe and son-in-law John
Uselton launched New Columbia Distillers, the first distillery in the
nation's capital since Prohibition, they were thirsting for a website
and brand
that would capitalize on the story of their inaugural brew, Green Hat
Gin.
Paying homage to D.C.'s spirited past, the name nods to
infamous bootlegger George Cassiday, whose trademark was a
green fedora.
As the startup's primary marketing tool, the website
needed to engage the company's hip, web-savvy target demographic and
feel as custom and unique as the craft distillery's
limited-distribution spirits. Lowe and Uselton turned to renowned D.C.
creative firm Design Army, whose clients range from The Washington
Ballet to Bloomingdale's. The 11-person shop, led by husband-and-wife
graphic designers Jake and Pum Lefebure, designed Green Hat's logo,
with its cleverly integrated hat motif, and conceived a website that
feels as if the user is flipping through old-style newspapers and
catalogs from the 1920s.
|