Takamaka Rum

Agency: Pearlfisher
Founding Partner Group & Creative Director: Jonathan Ford
Founding Partner & Group Chairman: Mike Branson
Design Director, Jess Phillips
Head of Strategy, Kristoffer Fink Parup
Client Director, Margot Coleou
Alex Da Silva, Creative Artworker
Packaging Content: Rum
Location: UK

Pearlfisher designs a new world of discovery for Takamaka Rum

Pearlfisher has redesigned the Takamaka Rum, ‘Seychelles’ range to take a wider global audience into a new world of discovery.

Founded in 2002, brothers and co-founders, Richard and Bernard D’Offay, set out to create a rum that captures the flavours of their island home in the Indian Ocean. As the brand prepares to broaden its reach and mission to appeal to bartenders, Pearlfisher was briefed to redesign and celebrate the brand’s Seychelles provenance through design and storytelling.

“Rum is such a diverse category, and one full of contradictions – visually, it perpetuates a certain style in terms of caricatures, such as pirates and sea kraken. We recognised an opportunity for Takamaka to reach new audiences by going beyond what the rum category has expressed before. Essentially, creating a defendable and discoverable brand positioning that elevates the character of Takamaka as a genuinely warm, dynamic and sustainably crafted rum brand with Creole character,” said, Kristoffer Fink Parup, Pearlfisher Head of Strategy.

Talking through how the creative idea comes to life, Jess Phillips, Pearlfisher Design Director, said, “Every aspect of the new identity and dynamic design for the brand’s Seychelles range builds on the foundation of our creative idea for the Takamaka brand, ‘The Undiscovered.’

The design is inspired by the national flag of Seychelles – with its meaning rooted in the country’s provenance and progressive mindset – and mirrors Takamaka’s own brand values of being optimistic and bringing people together. The five facets of the Seychelles flag become specific segments throughout the brand and packaging that visually capture the vibrant, dynamic and creole character of the island and its brand values. This comes to life through an array of tropical colours and bespoke illustrations by artists from the Seychelles as well as weaving in unique and previously undiscovered stories from the founders’ grandfather.”

Jess added, ‘It was really important to capture both the unique spirit of the Seychelles and the founding brothers’ warm personalities. Particular details we’ve included in the design include, recipes for the product and choosing the font ‘Brothers’ as a subtle nod to the founding brothers – all adding layers of uniquely discoverable elements into a modern bottle design to attract consumers and bartenders alike to the warmth and specialness of Takamaka.”

Client quote: Richard D’Offay, Co-Founder of Takamaka rum, said, “At Takamaka we’re passionate about bringing the true essence of the Seychelles to life with our Rum. Pearlfisher has now brought us to the forefront of the rum category with a brand rooted in the unspoilt beauty, colour, flavour, culture and environment of our islands. A symbolic design that stands strong on shelf, and across our portfolio, to open up our world for the rest of the world to discover and enjoy.”