Kingsland bottles NYC’s rich spirit and typographic history in their identity for rye brand Jaywalk

“We love the idea of breaking the little rules that don’t matter,” Kingsland's Founder Douglas Brundage tells us. “There’s a fierce independent streak in New Yorkers, and in NYDC as well,” he says, drawing a parallel between the people of the city and their client. This accurately captures the essence of their project, whereby brand studio (and proud New Yorkers) Kingsland were invited to revamp New York Distilling Co.’s (NYDC) successful rye whiskey line, aiding in developing not only a new name but a completely new visual approach, setting sights on both national and global expansion.

The fresh moniker draws inspiration from the uniquely American and defiant history of jaywalking, a term popularised in New York City. Historically, this term was employed to castigate those who dared to flout traffic rules and walked across roads in spite of contrary traffic light instructions. This defiant spirit of prioritising common sense over rules struck a chord with the brand’s identity. For instance, unlike other run-of-the-mill rye brands, NYDC takes pride in their singular focus – when it comes to whiskeys, they craft rye and nothing but rye. “Their unique, eccentric approach is indicative of the city that raised them,” Brundage notes, “and a jaunty jaywalk across the street seems like a perfect metaphor for our level of spritely disobedience.”

Importantly, the design process was a collaborative effort between many members of Kingsland’s design team. This comprehensive approach culminated in a visual outcome that not only stands out from the typical aesthetics associated with the whiskey market, but also truly embodies the spirit of its New York City origins. “Differentiation on-shelf and in the market in general was a key concern,” Brundage tells us, reflecting on the project. “Considering the American whiskey space is full of Old West motifs and macho symbolism, lots of buffalos and horses and mountains and trains and clichés like that, we wanted to do something minimal and different.”

“Additionally,” he continues, “NYC is a loud-mouth, loquacious town. There’s words everywhere, in the air and on the sidewalks, on the walls and on top of the bridges.” And, in the same sense of avoiding cliches, Brundage emphasised the need to step away from “done-to-death imagery” of New York that natives are tired of — yellow cabs, Statue of Liberty, you name it. “This kept bringing us back to words, and the more we looked into the typography that surrounds us in NYC, the more inspired the team felt.”

The decision to focus on typography was, in part, informed by Brundage’s and NYDC founder Allen Katz’ shared love of NYC history. With a rich archive of typographic history – from subway tokens, vintage street signs, and ghost signs – New York City’s abundance of type provided the perfect playground for the brand’s design direction. When the team delved into the abundance of records, “we found a beautiful reference set of funky yet legible type, bold colours and even strange shapes (the city’s now-iconic rectangular street signs, for example, were only rolled out about 100 years ago),” Brundage says.

As a result, the team chose the fittingly named Central Avenue to lead the brand’s typography, thanks to its “straight-talking, no-bullshit, almost anti-decorative stance – reminiscent of hand-painted letter forms, handmade street signage and prohibition-era speakeasy bill posters.” This font possesses the perfect blend of character, attitude, and grit that sets it apart from other sans serif faces when typeset in uppercase. Across the identity system, the lettering is not simply customised, it’s been meticulously roughened to echo the unique patina of painted street markings in NYC.

The team chose to support Central Avenue with Rework Micro by Sociotype and Intimo Two by Alias Type. Rework Micro – a contemporary, robust, and industrial workhorse inspired by copperplate engraved type – provides versatility, even in smaller sizes. Intimo Two, on the other hand, links back to NYC street-crossing signs and traditional whiskey barrel rivets, bringing the narrative right back to the craftsmanship at the heart of Jaywalk.

Kingsland

New York Distilling Co.