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Pearl San Antonio

Branding, Packaging, Website

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Services

Branding
Packaging System
Website Design & Development
Brand Merchandise & Apparel
Collateral Design
Copywriting

Team

Creative Direction: Christian Helms
Design Team: Greg Thomas, Nicola Broderick, Emily Prestridge, Greg Hoy, Kayla Dockery, Crystal Glover, Nicole Oesterreicher
Brand Management: Laura Jankovsky, Ryan Kitchens
Copywriting: Christian Helms, Andy Ogburn
Website Implementation & Content Strategy: Greg Hoy
Select Photography: Nick Cabrera

Awards

Austin Ad Fed Bronze ADDY Award 2022

The Story

Pearl challenges the notion that humans define their cities by their spaces and places—rather, communities are built around the way we interact, engage and feel within our spaces. Experience, not cold steel nor even the most magnificent limestone, is what made icons of the liveliness and enterprise of the Manhattan skyline, the elegance and romance of the Eiffel Tower, and the stateliness and dignity of our Texas Capitol.

It was our mission with the team at Pearl to take some of the most distinctive architecture in San Antonio, so integral to South Texas history, and show that today it’s not just a centerpiece but a beautiful backdrop: where local character abounds, and naturally transcends place.

At Pearl, what began as a humble brewery campus is today a robust collective—a community, both of people and places, that exists to spark moments and memories that illustrate the warmth, pride and energy of South Texas. Pearl stands for something greater than just the sum of its parts. It’s a hub for both work and play, and represents a journey that picks up where a destination leaves off. It’s the pinnacle of ‘adaptive reuse’: a versatile, contemporary plaza in a rich, historic setting where inspiration and dedication collide to both kick their feet up and get their hands dirty. Here, friends discover heritage and history among moments that kindle wonder and awe in all five senses.

Using Pearl’s rich heritage and historic architecture as a springboard, our team immersed ourselves in every facet of the brand through discovery learning, stakeholder interviews and brand strategy. Each insight we surfaced was channeled into brand language and tone for the Pearl brand as it moves into its next phase of life in San Antonio.

The Heart of South Texas, Then & Now

Pearl speaks like a local, to its primary audience: the local community. Its voice is definitively South Texan and therefore embodies a degree of contradiction. Pearl may roll up its sleeves and don snake boots in the morning, attend a gallery event in the evening, and grab elotes from a roadside stop on the way home. Pearl contains multitudes.

The distinct dichotomy that defines Pearl proved to be a keen driver for a striking brand identity. Like Pearl, the design system has one foot squarely planted in the past and its vision trained keenly on the future. Imagery from deep in Pearl archives juxtaposes contemporary typography. Vivid color blocking frames images of 1800s industrial architecture. Stylish lifestyle photography reflects simple moments of connection and celebration. From brand patterning to illustration style, each element of singular style serves in support of Pearl’s values of celebrating makers, storytelling and community pride. Pearl’s new voice and brand identity proved to not only be versatile, but also energizing.

Pearl Provisions

Tunneling back into Pearl’s history and rich archive of ephemera we developed a map for Pearl’s debut retail venture. With an offering that stretches from Poteet Strawberry Jam and Red Fife Johnny Cake mix to postcards and branded apparel, Pearl Provisions is an offering that reflects the unique culture and lifestyle of South Texas. Items reinterpreted from the brewery’s history sit beside newly crafted goods and archival imagery and art, giving shoppers a glimpse into the wild and wonderful stew that makes this part of Texas magnificent.


Helms Workshop®