Total Banana Bread Beer package by Santamaria

Santamaria has designed the logo, bottle, box and pump clip for cask ale Banana Bread Beer, which will be launched by Charles Wells Brewery on 20 March.

The ale will be unveiled simultaneously at the London Drinker Beer Festival, which runs from 20-22 March, and in Tesco and Safeway. It takes its name from the Saxon phrase for beer: liquid bread.

The ale’s logo incorporates a half-peeled banana and a pint glass in one icon, which has been christened the ‘pintanana’ by Charles Wells. Freelance Italian illustrator Piero was commissioned by Santamaria to create the marque.

Santamaria developed several ideas for the branding before settling on a design incorporating woodcarving-style illustrations of an alfresco picnic in rich brown, copper and gold typography, according to managing director Laura Santamaria.

It is designed to reflect the premium qualities of the product, as well as evoke the Victorians’ penchant for acquiring exotic food and blending it with traditional English food, she says.

‘We initially found the name quite difficult to work with when [Charles Wells] presented it to us,’ Santamaria adds.

The bottle carries a neck tag, also designed by the consultancy, featuring product history as well as a recipe for banana bread. The tag was included to give the product a more exclusive feel as well as instil a sense of familiarity around the product, she says.

The consultancy won the work without a pitch on the strength of its five-year relationship with Charles Wells. Santamaria has been working on the product for around eight months.

Banana Bread Beer will be available in Asda, Morrisons and the Co-op in late spring. The ale blends traditional bitter with fair trade bananas.