Opinion BY Armin

Beer for the People

First brewed in 1893 and originally named Cerveza Cuauhtémoc after the sixteenth-century Mexican emperor, Indio, as it quickly became called by consumers and renamed as such in 1905, is a dark (and super tasty) beer produced by Cervecería Cuauhtémoc Moctezuma, part of global brewery Heineken. This week Indio introduced a new logo and packaging designed by Mexico City-based Olabuenaga Chemistri London-based Bulletproof.

Finally, Ricardo Duran, CM Brand Manager, explained the changes and said that inspired by the traditional Aztec calendar, “create a new element that allows us to complement the iconic image of the emperor Cuauhtemoc. This innovative design gives Indio a much stronger, commanding presence and a warrior attitude worthy of our beer.” We are convinced that this is a very positive change and provides significant benefits to the mark, since it offers robust tools to continue building the Indio leadership position deserves, he said.
— Press Release (Google translated)

A closer look at the old label. Photo by Flickr user rsinghabout

As a counterpoint to this week’s Miller64, Indio has plenty of street cred and oomph. Its old look wasn’t anything particularly good or even different from other lower-priced Mexican beers with a basic logo and realistic illustration. The new packaging shows Mr. Cuauhtémoc on steroids, ready to kick ass and then down a “cahuama” (a “Forty” if you will). Kidding aside, the gold and dark green palette looks stunning on this beer, even if it’s a common combination — most notably used by another Mexican beer, Dos Equis. The touch of red on the emperor’s headpiece is a nice flair. The packaging starts to lose some of its power in the 6- and 12-packs where it looks more commercial and like American beer packaging. No offense. All in all, a vast improvement where visuals match content.

Update found via Nice Fucking Graphics.