Out with the old…

Venerable gentleman of bars the world over, Jack Daniels Old No. 7 Sour Mash Tennessee whiskey, has had a little work done in an effort to rejuvenate the legendary brand and reinforce its status as one of the globe’s most recognised, and most popular spirits. (No, they’re not paying me anything.)

A Tennessee design company was hired to carefully update the respective bottles and labels of Jack Daniels products. The brief was to update the status of the brand by cleaning up some of the design elements without completely stripping them of the classic look that has accompanied the black and white layout for decades. The last brand update was in the 1980s.

Here’s the most recent Jack Daniels label, which you’ll recognise from just about every bar or club you’ve ever visited:

Now here’s the re-envisaged version. Can you spot all of the changes?

It’s not completely “less is more”, but there’s a definite shift towards reducing the presence of age. Note the “Old” above “No. 7” is smaller, and the phrase “Old Time” has been removed completely.

The sides of the label have also been re-designed, streamlining the information about the production and history of the contents, as well as a more prominent tip to the man himself.

The bottle has also had some work done, particularly in the shoulder department.

The concept here was to “broaden the shoulders” of the bottle, giving them a more “chiseled, masculine” look, whilst retaining the distinctive block shape that set the brand apart over fifty years ago.

Cue, the brand company tasked with the update, have some great visuals and layouts detailing their design process, which you can check out here.

The makeover has extended to the whole Jack Daniels range, including their Tennessee Honey liqueur, and their pre-bottled Jack Daniels and mixer collection.

[Source: Fastcodesign.com]