URQU

Craft Beer Branding


Urqu (meaning mountain in Quechua) is a non-alcoholic craft beer brand brewed in Peru. The visual identity is deeply rooted in Peruvian heritage, bridging historical indigenous narrative with modern graphic design.

The design takes structural and visual cues from the work of Guamán Poma de Ayala, the most important indigenous historian of Peru. Elements of the secondary text typography draw direct inspiration from the historical letterforms found in his manuscripts. Additionally, the intricate patterns wrapping around the cans are a modern reimagining of the mountains depicted in his famous drawings. Instead of traditional illustrations, the brand translates those landscapes into a contemporary perspective through topographic maps. Specifically, the packaging showcases the exact topographic map of Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru.

The system uses a organic, flowing geography contrasts sharply with the brutalist, heavy weight of the custom main logotype. Utilizing a high visibility color palette to differentiate its flavors.










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