Pirata One

Beer Logo Inspiration In My Own Backyard

Both the design and the beer for Week 44’s Beer-Type logo was directly inspired by a special, one-time, limited release by Hickory, NC’s hometown heroes Olde Hickory Brewery called Calico Jack. It’s an American Imperial Stout brewed with spice and natural flavors, then aged in rum barrels. Yes, I was one of those souls standing in a line that wrapped well around the building the morning of the Halloween release. It was cold, but hanging with friends made it easy, and the warmth that was the draft poured roughly 2 hours later was worth the wait. And I came away with a few bottles to stash as buried treasure for the not-so-distant future—not too shabby.

At the release party the night before, I was fortunate enough to have some great conversations with both OHB’s head brewer and their graphic artist. I’m telling you, the best of both worlds! (My worlds anyway.) I’m a huge fan of their beer as well as their revitalized beer labels and identity. Hats off to OHB!

Professor, What’s Another Word for Pirate Treasure?

Pirata One is a Google font—free for the pillaging. It’s a nice mix between a blackletter and script, which is perfect for this Beer-Type logo. I’m gonna stash this one for future use.

I love the label design of Calico Jack, but I didn’t want it to be a rip-off by any means. It’s rather a play on this beer and other pirate-inspired branding. By the way, the answer to the question above is ‘booty’!