MONKEY 47: Wild eccentricity redesigned
MONKEY 47, the ultra-premium and top trending Schwarzwald Dry Gin, has launched a visual refresh working with Annie Atkins, the award-winning graphic designer – embracing the enigmatic quality of Germany’s Black Forest and steeped in rich visual metaphors.
We caught up with Ludivine Catrice, Creative Strategy and Design Director, Pernod Ricard and Lea Zobernig, MONKEY 47’s Global Marketing Manager to discuss refreshing the brand’s pioneering spirit, its meticulous craftsmanship and its sense of adventure.
How did you approach the brief to refresh MONKEY 47’s brand world?
Ludivine: As a key part of the creative process we visited the Black Forest, the home of MONKEY 47. It allowed us to really understand where the brand comes from and experience the meticulous craft behind the gin. We quickly recognised how its eccentricity is rooted in the German cultural movement of Mitteleuropa. Our main objective was to remain true to the vision of Alexander Stein, MONKEY 47’s founder and while we were there, we were able to spend time with him, which was fantastic. Being able to meet the founder in person rather than digging into a brand’s archives was very inspiring. We heard firsthand Alexander’s strong vision; he was extremely generous in sharing his views in a convivial, very Pernod Ricard way!
Monkey 47 has relentlessly invented and explored new ways to bring the brand to life ever since it was launched.
How would you describe MONKEY 47’s DNA?
Ludivine: We believe the DNA of the brand is captured in three ways. First, is its “meticulous craft”; born through Alexander’s obsession with detail – the handcrafted process and quality remain at the heart of MONKEY 47 to this day. Second, is what we call the “widely imaginative dimension of the brand”. When you visit the Black Forest, you will instantly understand what this means. Its wildness and the mystery – there are no boundaries to imagination! Third is the notion of “clever oxymoron”, where playful and mischievous contradictions and unlikely combinations have meaning.
Can you explain the concept behind the original Monkey 47 wallpaper?
Lea: The original wallpaper – the jungle wallpaper – was created by Stuttgart based artist Sasa Zivkovic who drew the label. It was part of a trade show booth and wasn’t destined to get as big or as popular as it ended up being. The leap from the Black Forest to the jungle was a fascinating contrast and juxtaposition. The wallpaper gave the brand the ability to create a bigger illustration and being able to hide branding elements without being obvious. This subtlety is super important to MONKEY 47 and it’s certainly not conventional advertising!
Visiting the Black Forest allowed us to understand where the brand comes from and experience the meticulous craft behind the gin.
What is the rationale for refreshing the brand at this stage?
Lea: There is always a temptation not to fix something that isn’t broken. But it can be powerful to question yourself while a brand is performing well. We want to keep people on their toes with unexpected concepts, ideas and activations – that’s a strength of the brand. When the wallpaper first started gaining traction it was unexpected. Over the years, we have started to see more and more jungle wallpaper motifs in more and more places, perhaps inspired by our MONKEY 47. While some fundamentals such as the logo, label design & iconic packaging remains unchanged, it was time to refresh the wallpaper!
How do you approach a brand refresh when you want to hold on to what made it unique in the first place?
Ludivine: By capturing the unique essence of the brand: the epitome of the perfect blend of crafted excellence and eccentric sophistication, all of this fuelled by our ambition of becoming a cult brand for eccentric adventurers. Monkey 47 believes that great stories have the ability to transport us to another world – but can also trigger the imagination more deeply, if the story is a bit wild, too. To create widely imaginative stories, we needed a storyteller – someone able to dive into meticulous details while injecting fun and eccentricity. Annie Atkins was the obvious and the be honest, our dream choice.
Our main objective was to remain true to the vision of Alexander Stein, MONKEY 47’s founder.
Did you give Annie Atkins a free rein on creativity?
Ludivine: I like to use the expression “freedom within a frame”. The definition of the timeless DNA pillars, the creative direction and the creative principle are the frames. Within that frame, Annie was free to express her creativity. Annie came to the Black Forest too and every single detail has a meaning and is inspired by something that truly exists. People may ask why alpacas are in the design – it’s because there are alpacas at MONKEY 47’s brand home in the Black Forest!
How will the refreshed brand world be rolled out?
Lea: It’s already in full swing. We’re at the Bar Convent Berlin trade fair in October, while the gift box for our limited distiller’s cut release featured the new wallpaper’s design and we had a pop-up bar in Stuttgart in December. We will soon embark on a big trade-focused experiential tour in the US, stopping at different cities to showcase the new brand world vision. We also partnered with a hotel, Fritz Lauterbad, in the Black Forest, and have a suite there called Apartment 47. It’s behind a hidden door and it is fully branded with the refreshed wallpaper and has a balcony overlooking the forest. It’s a fun and wonderful experience!
