Once in a while we get the chance to be part of a brand that is unassuming and it’s as authentic as it gets. Novo Fogo is an organic cachaça, a Brazilian sugar cane spirit under the rum category. The distillery is located in Morretes, Brazil, on the edge of the rain forest. For the last few years Novo Fogo’s brand has been taking the U.S. by storm, being recognized as one of the best cachaças on the market. There is no doubt that the quality of the cachaça has a great role in Novo Fogo’s success, but that is not the only reason… As a design studio, where brands are converted from abstract ideas to real visualization, we keep close in communication with the teams who own or manage the product marketing. The final design is a combined labor of love of our creative work following the client’s focus and direction which is a big part of the brand’s success. So what makes this symbiotic relation with Novo Fogo a success story?

Keep it simple and authentic:

• A well thought out and carefully maintained strategy by Novo Fogo team to keep the brand truthful to its origin. Many will state this as obvious, but in reality it is a very difficult task. Brand owners often fall into the temptation of overcompensating their brand message, causing their brand to crumble under false pretense and then falls short with the target audience.

Be consistent:

• Novo Fogo is consistently keeping a unified look over the years with a base of a few well selected visual elements that represent the personality of the brand (i.e. burlap texture, earth tones, and raw lines). While many brand owners mistake being consistent with not being up to date. Keeping consistency over the years is what will make a brand recognizable. The secret is to find the right elements, as few as you can, but with lots of personality. Building a strong yet simple base will allow the brand to expand from there and make every future project feel new yet aligned to the already recognizable brand’s look and feel. A good base will let you go further rather than reinventing yourself each time you have a new project and it won’t confuse your target audience.

More than just looks:

• Novo Fogo’s looks transcends just as smoothly in writing. The style of writing is very approachable and directly levels with the fans. It is true that one picture is worth a thousand words, yet we can’t escape from textual content. Often looks like the creative thinking went to sleep when the content was written, which ends having a great look along with a dull text nearly exciting as the visual representation. A brand should include well written text that aligns with the overall brand image. There is no excuse for poorly written content!

Sell an experience:

• More and more companies are starting to shift the marketing concept to sell an entire experience rather than focusing on the shelf product only. This approach is more powerful, leaving the target audience mesmerized and connected to the product more than ever. Novo Fogo is the proof that not only giant corporations such as Apple and Coca Cola can make this work, but anyone that has enough determination and a well thought strategy for the long term can as well. Every week, Novo Fogo puts out an event call, Bars on Fire somewhere in the U.S. These events are fun and gives you just a sip into the Brazilian taste. All events are promoted by the dynamic team of Novo Fogo, taking over bars all over the country to prepare cocktails that fires you up, yet calms the spirit.

I hope all of the above not only gives you the taste for trying this amazing brand, but enriches your mind on how to do it right. See some great examples in our portfolio.