UI/UX Design, Development
Monopolio

Bring an old-school Mexican cerveza into the craft-brewing boom, tradition intact.

A Mexican lager first brewed by a farmer and a French entrepreneur in 1882, Monopolio enjoyed 50 years of international success—during which time it was imbibed everywhere from the battlefields of the Mexican Revolution to the famous World’s Fair in Chicago.

Monopolio had already established a fun and vibrant visual style, which made it natural to distill a UI system based on its beautiful packaging. With this system in place, we were free to think about the story of the brand while remaining confident that our layouts would be consistent with the rest of the brand assets.

Capitalizing On Tradition & History

When the the brand was revived a few years ago, it faced a distinctly 21st-century challenge: How does a legacy beverage break through to consumers in a craft beer scene that has added more than 3,500 new breweries in the last five years alone? The answer was to champion the traditions and legends that set Monopolio apart from the newcomers.

We looked to Monopolio’s past to create an identity that speaks to its future. Old blueprints, packaging, newspaper ads, black-and-white photographs, and other tantalizing bits of ephemera became the basis not only for a new visual language, but an entire brand mythology portraying life at the original brewery in 19th-century Mexico.

These stories showcase the products alongside UI design elements that reflect the modern-day Monopolio and its values: simple, friendly, and fun. By reinvigorating the company’s roots while leaving space for innovation, we ensured that Monopolio is primed to flourish in its second act.