Present Tense is Chicago's premier ghost bar, founded by award winning bartender Derek Mercer. Offering ready-to-drink bottled cocktails, cocktail catering, bar consulting, and private cocktail classes — Present Tense curates experiences that help people come together and live presently.

We set out to capture the upbeat and inviting personality of the founder, Derek, by executing on a concept, sensibly named "A Splash of Derek". This led us to develop a playful suite of cocktail buddies and speech bubbles that are intended to be mixed and matched or layered onto photos.

The visual identity represents all of the characteristics of Present Tense — spirited, accessible, curated, delightful and credible. The wordmark is a san serif typeface with a twist. It makes a bold statement with the extension of the letter "T" to put emphasis on living presently.

The ready-to-drink cocktail labels can’t help but catch your eye with the use of cheerful colors and playful speech bubble elements.

Photography: Cow Cat Studio

✷ BRAND IDENTITY

✷ PRODUCT LABEL DESIGN