From real sunsets to mythical beasts, Great Divide’s branding channels Colorado

By Kyle Kirves

Blackfeet Indians called the Rocky Mountains “the backbone of the world,” and they are certainly the backbone of Colorado. A silhouette image of the Rockies at sunset is also the backbone of Great Divide Brewing’s logo.

“When you see it, it’s instantly recognizable,” says Shannon Berner, marketing manager for the Denver brewery. “It’s a simplified take on the Colorado mountains, with the jagged edges implying the larger ranges.”

The logo is rendered in various colors but always with orange as the accent color. It features the GREAT DIVIDE name in a dominant, all-caps font, and the shadow of the Rocky Mountains weaves between the two words like an implication of larger things.

Appropriately, the theme of using big, broad names with subtler, implied images — shadows, outlines, traces — is now part of Great Divide’s larger branding strategy.

“We’ve been shifting toward one-dimensional silhouette icons over the past 10 years or so but it’s really ramped up in the last couple of years,” Berner said. “The iconography is supported by bold naming — that is, the name prominently and a shadow image that reflects that name in a recognizable way.”

This formula, combined with some splashy color, helps with cooler appeal in your crowded local beer store. It has also led to the most iconic Great Divide image, and another mountain classic: the Yeti.

Berner said anything featuring the lumbering Himalayan beast is popular — and not just the imperial stout and its seasonal offshoots.

“Everything we put the (Yeti) logo on just flies off our shelves. T-shirts, hats, stickers. Everything,” she said.

Great Divide rushed to trademark the Yeti name (at least as it pertains to beer), and that’s indicative of the latest challenge in beer identity creation.

“The whole branding process has become a lot harder in the last couple of years because of new breweries, and it is harder and harder to come up with new names,” Berner said.

Great Divide researches the entire beverage industry to see if similar names are copyrighted elsewhere.

“We have to see if the name or names we’re thinking about are used by someone else. ‘Is this name a cocktail mixer in Chile?’” she asks with a laugh. “It’s a complicated process. A lot more roundabout. And it forces us to go a little deeper in what we’re trying to convey with each brand, and that can be a good thing.”

She said Great Divide fans can expect longer and more complicated names based primarily on the brewing recipes.

“It’s starts with great beer, and only then do we move to naming,” Berner said. “We factor in the tasting notes, what season we’re going to release in, and so forth.”

This thematic balancing act is reflected nicely in Great Divide’s two very different biker beers.

“The Hop Disciples program has a real following,” Berner said. “The combination of the can art and the beer are always well received.”

An India Pale Ale that rotates hop varietals every year, Hop Disciples features a silhouette
of a helmeted hog rider prominently on the can art.

Alternatively, Roadie, the seasonal grapefruit radler, is stylized with Peugot bike jersey colors and a cameo figure of a road bicyclist in a speed stance.

“That’s another one that gets great response from cyclists,” says Berner, stressing that the image and iconography is not a cliche. “It’s an authentic tribute from our founder and his sons to the world of road biking. They are avid cyclists and understand and appreciate the sport.”

But finally, Berner brought us down from the lofty heights of the Rockies and reminded us about Great Divide’s true focus.

“While people like the artwork, they love the beer,” she said.

Because when it comes to great beer, what Divides us can unite us.

Kyle Kirves is a solid dude who believes drinking beer should be a five-senses experience.