Moara Popii is an artisanal microbrewery from Dâmbovița, Romania, built around strong family values and a local story that risked being forgotten. The founders were producing quality beer, but the brand lacked a coherent identity capable of standing out in an increasingly competitive craft market.
The ambition was not only to design a label, but to build a brand with personality — one that could carry local heritage into modern retail and hospitality environments.
The challenge was to transform a rural story and a traditional name into a commercially viable craft beer brand. The identity needed to feel authentic without becoming nostalgic, bold without feeling forced, and distinctive enough to compete on shelves alongside established craft players.
Beyond the logo itself, the brand had to extend naturally into packaging, merchandise and experiential touchpoints — from glassware and labels to apparel and promotional materials
We started with positioning and narrative clarification, grounding the brand in the origin of the village name and the symbolic reference to the old mill. The visual identity was built around a strong central character — a distinctive bearded figure — designed to evoke craftsmanship, heritage and personality.
Typography and graphic elements were intentionally textured and slightly imperfect, reinforcing the artisanal character of the beer. The system was developed to scale consistently across bottles, merchandise, point-of-sale materials and branded objects, ensuring recognizability beyond the product label.
Rather than creating a single logo, we built a flexible identity system capable of growing with the brewery.
Moara Popii emerged as a recognizable craft beer brand with a strong visual signature and a clear story behind it. The new identity elevated the perception of the product, supported retail presence and created a cohesive brand experience across packaging and promotional materials.
The project marked the rebirth of a local story — transformed into a modern, commercially viable brand.
