Carla Palette opts for bold type and colour in her punchy identity for whiskey sour brand BUNA

Sicilian whiskey sour brand BUNA is hoping to lead the new wave of whiskey, steering clear of the industry’s tartan-heavy tropes in the process. Turning to Carla Palette to achieve as much, the Berlin-based designer has devised a comprehensive, colourful identity for BUNA. The result is a vibrant, welcoming world of whiskey – one that opens up the spirit to a different generation of drinkers. The core of the identity centres around a delicate balance of moods, whereby the neutral colour palette is contrasted with the application of vivid typography; courtesy of T1 Foundry’s Korium and OGJ Type Design’s Sequel Sans. Discussing her typographic choices, Palette tells us that, “as BUNA’s whiskey sour has a higher alcohol percentage than its competitors, we wanted to communicate this notion through a heavy, chunky wordmark,” hoping to catch the eye of fresh audiences through its bold presence, whilst alluding to the strength of the spirit. “This was also a choice made to go against what is known and expected from whiskey brands,” Palette adds, “which usually focus on the use of delicate and eclectic typography, which is done to death,” instead finding comfort in the dynamic shapes of Korium’s distinctive letterforms. “Sequel Sans was chosen to visually balance the strength and presence of the bold wordmark,” she continues, “and allows the supporting brand copy to feel direct and purposeful,” capturing a modernist, meticulous character akin to the whiskey’s taste profiles and distilling practice.