A closer look at the SIBA Rebrand
Article by Neil Walker, SIBA Head of Comms & Marketing
Those of you who came to this year’s BeerX in Liverpool may have attended the Official Opening with SIBA CEO Andy Slee and myself, in which I introduced the new SIBA rebrand and organisational name change. But for those of you not in attendance I just wanted to set out the reasoning behind the project, some of the inspirations for our new look, and why I think this puts SIBA in a much better position to represent the diverse independent brewing industry.
Founded in 1980 as the ‘Small Independent Brewers Association’, SIBA changed its name in 1995 to ‘the Society of Independent Brewers’ but kept the original acronym for which we have now become well-known in the industry. The rebrand sees the organisation move forwards as SIBA – The Society of Independent Brewers and Associates, a name which better reflects our expanded membership and voice.
“Independent beer and brewers are the heart of what SIBA is about and always will be. As our organisation has grown to reflect wider parts of the industry, we’ve evolved our name to include that. We’ve taken the opportunity of a rebrand to build on the SIBA name that we’re best known by, and to clarify the wider appeal of SIBA membership and what it means to be a part of that – putting independence at the heart of who we are.” Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive.
As well as representing independent breweries SIBA also have brewing industry Supplier Associate members, including ingredients suppliers, brewery manufacturers and service companies, and more recently expanded our membership to include associate homebrewer and international brewing members – the new name makes clear the role of these Associate members to the organisation.
The ‘Big Voice’ of Independent Beer
SIBA at it’s heart is here to represent the interests and businesses of our members – a diverse range of brewing businesses of all shapes and sizes, each with their own ambitions, ethos and aesthetic. From decades old traditional ale breweries to the smallest micro-brewery producing international styles, there is no such thing as a typical SIBA brewery and our branding needed to reflect that – positioning SIBA as the amplifier of those businesses.
Working with Ape Creative we looked outside of the beer bubble and took inspiration from contemporary Art Galleries and Museums; as trusted and respected curators of brands and content, they appeal to diverse audiences with different interests, across a broad range of products and services. At their heart is a highly visual and recognisable core brand, with the flexibility to scale, adapt and grow.
The core idea is that SIBA is the Big Voice of Independent Beer, with a clear focus to serve its members, acting as a loudhailer for the vibrant and diverse independent brewing sector.
Within the brand itself the aim was to create a core logo mark that can become an icon, instantly recognisable by the industry, with a brand identity that is modular and scalable, to work effectively across multiple channels and contexts. With different colour palettes designed to work within the structure of the new SIBA brand the flexibility is built in.
In our logo, the name is contained within a graphic loudhailer, helping to announce SIBA to its different audiences. The loudhailer is filled with the logotype, to give the shape the same energy and vitality as the sector.
These elements combine to create a clear, iconic and flexible logo with the modernity to comfortably represent all parts of the independent beer sector. The central loudhailer also allows the organisation name to be ‘announced’ from it when seen in the full version below, further cementing that idea of SIBA as a voice for independent brewers.
Finally, the new brand increases the impact of ‘Independent’ within the main logo mark, putting it front and centre with a bold and vibrant colour tying it to the main SIBA acronym. In many ways the most important word in the organisation name, Independent is now very clearly at the heart of who we are.
For more information about the SIBA brand or how you can use it, contact me via email on neil.walker@siba.co.uk
More Rebrand Artwork Examples
