The Modelo logo occupies a large part of the label for a beer brand because it consists of many drawings and inscriptions. A wreath of spikelets symbolizes the product’s natural composition, and two heraldic lions indicate the uniqueness of the refreshing drink. The noble dark blue color, in combination with gold, emphasizes the special origin of the beer.
Modelo: Brand overview
Founded: | 1925 |
Founder: | Grupo Modelo |
Headquarters: | Mexico |
Meaning and History
Modelo Especial lager embodies the experience of world-famous German brewers, although a Mexican company invented it. The first word from the brand name is translated from Spanish as “example” or “model,” and the second emphasizes the uniqueness of the refreshing drink. The bottles into which the beer is bottled look just as unique. Transparent glass containers have a unique shape: their lower part resembles a jar, and at the top is a thickened neck sealed with gold foil.
Such bottles are characteristic of all Modelo versions. The only difference is in the design: the Especial is dominated by light tones, while the Negra is all dark. As far as is known, the lager’s visual identity was last changed in 2016, three years after Constellation Brands, Inc., America’s largest beer importer, bought the brand.
What is Modelo?
Modelo is one of the export brands of the Grupo Modelo brewery. It sells several versions of beer with different flavors: Modelo Light pale lager, Especial honey-orange, Negra caramel, and Reserva German pilsner. They are made from hops, cereals, roasted malt, and water.
The new owner decided to stick to a single style to achieve visual harmony between different variants of Modelo drinks. At the same time, he retained elements of the old design because the love of tradition shows the integrity and historical heritage of the brand.
The iconic Modelo logo is featured on bottle labels, painted on cans, and engraved on souvenir glasses. It differs slightly for different types of beer, although the structure generally is the same. The most famous is the version created for the Especial lager because it is much lighter than the Negra.
In the center is the blue word “Modelo,” which consists of elongated oval letters. The vertical strokes “M,” “d,” and “l” have wide serifs. Each glyph is outlined in yellow and padded with dashed gray shadows. The brand name is supported on both sides by heraldic lions with a golden mane – one on the right and one on the left. They stand on a long ribbon with the inscription “1925”, decorated with barley spikelets.
Two more spikes are depicted in the background as a wreath surrounding the building with a flag. This is probably the brewery where Modelo products are made. Beneath it is an element that often goes unnoticed due to being obscured by blue lettering. We are talking about the signature of Pablo Diez, one of the co-founders of the Mexican company Grupo Modelo. All listed elements of the logo are not the main ones, so they are painted in light gray.
Above is the red word “CERVEZA” (“beer” in Spanish), curved in the shape of an arch. It is set in capital letters with short serifs and appears three-dimensional due to the white and gray outlines. The blue “Especial” is written at the very bottom of the logo. To represent the variety of lager, the designers used a calligraphic cursive font with decorative swirls at the capital “E” and dots at the ends of the lowercase “s” and “c.”
Barley stalks are a traditional symbol of brewing. There are only four of them on the Modelo emblem: two each on the ribbon and in the background. This suggests that the beer manufacturer pays great attention to the choice of ingredients and relies on quality and naturalness. But lions are not such a frequent element of the brewing company’s identity, although these animals are common in heraldry. Two proud predators adorn the label of the lager at once as if hinting at its special origin and royal status. By the way, the lions, which are located to the right and left of the inscription, resemble similar animals on the coat of arms of the capital of Mexico, where the headquarters of the Modelo brand is based.
Font and Colors
The label on the beer bottles looks spectacular, thanks to carefully chosen typography. The designers of the logo used their unique font for each word. For “Modelo,” a high-contrast geometric antiqua similar to FontSite Inc’s Concept Medium Condensed. or a modification of the Margon 430 Bold from ParaType. For “CERVEZA” – a typeface with sharp serifs. For “Especial,” a font that mimics calligraphic handwriting.
All inscriptions and graphic elements are painted in different colors: dark blue, red, light gray, white, brown, and gold in different shades. Of course, the yellow gradient is the most iconic, associated with mature barley and pale lager.
Modelo color codes
Jasmine | Hex color: | #ffe579 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 255 229 121 | |
CMYK: | 0 10 53 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 120 C |
Bright Yellow | Hex color: | #ffab1b |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 255 171 27 | |
CMYK: | 0 33 89 0 | |
Pantone: | PMS 137 C |
Liver | Hex color: | #692e24 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 105 46 36 | |
CMYK: | 0 56 66 59 | |
Pantone: | PMS 181 C |
Cardinal | Hex color: | #c41e32 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 196 30 50 | |
CMYK: | 0 85 74 23 | |
Pantone: | PMS 1788 C |
Gainsboro | Hex color: | #dfe0e2 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 223 224 226 | |
CMYK: | 1 1 0 11 | |
Pantone: | PMS 663 C |
Aluminium | Hex color: | #808990 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 128 137 144 | |
CMYK: | 11 5 0 44 | |
Pantone: | PMS 430 C |
Marengo | Hex color: | #4f5d71 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 79 93 113 | |
CMYK: | 30 18 0 56 | |
Pantone: | PMS 7545 C |
Space Cadetl | Hex color: | #0c223f |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 12 34 63 | |
CMYK: | 81 46 0 75 | |
Pantone: | PMS 282 C |