Simple, stylish, iconic – that’s how the Natural Light logo is perceived. The beer brand is trying to strike a balance to attract both college students and older folks. Its emblem is associated with leisure, fun, and parties.
Natural Light: Brand overview
Founded: | 1977 |
Founder: | Anheuser-Busch |
Headquarters: | United States |
Website: | naturallight.com |
Meaning and History
The most significant event in the history of Natural Light’s identity was the return to the retro can design in 2023. In this way, the manufacturer is actively trying to attract the attention of people aged 30 to 40 who are starting to buy beer with the old logo due to nostalgia. The brand’s logo used before was aimed at the youth: the bright inscription with a slight gradient was traditionally associated with outdoor events, parties, and sports events. By redesigning the packaging, the company is trying to replicate the success of the Miller Lite brand, which managed to increase sales in 2014 by bringing back the old-school white can of the 1990s.
What is Natural Light?
Natural Light is a beer brand owned by Anheuser-Busch. Colloquially, it is better known as Natty Light. The brand was launched in 1977 to compete with Miller Lite, and initially, it belonged to the premium segment. But the product’s price has dropped so much that it is now considered budget-friendly and popular among college students.
1977 – today
Millennials know Natural Light by its logo with a massive inscription, set in a bold italic font, placed on a silver background. The brand name is divided into two lines with the right alignment. The first word is blue with a light gradient, and the second is red. The letters have short sharp serifs, giving the emblem dynamism. Unlike “Natural,” all letters in “LIGHT” are uppercase. Using the difference in case and colors, designers set visual accents. This logo has adorned cans and beer packaging for about ten years.
Retro Design
In this version, the phrase “Natural Light” is written in a stylized dark blue font with serifs and is centered. Under the last “ht,” there is a barely noticeable word, “BEER,” set in thin letters without serifs. To the right and left are golden hop cones and leaves, indicating the natural composition of the beverage. It is known that a similar emblem was created as far back as 1979 and was used for just over three decades. Then the company switched to the red-blue logo.
In 2023, retro design makes a return, not just for a brief time but as part of a permanent rebranding effort. This decision was made due to falling sales, aiming to trigger nostalgia among older consumers. In 2021 and 2022, the manufacturer released a limited number of cans with a vintage emblem in North and South Carolina. Due to the old-school style, they were increasingly bought by people who had long since stopped being students. This success motivated Natural Light to change its packaging entirely and return the old logo as the primary one, moving away from the red-blue inscription. The revamped cans and bottles began appearing in stores in February 2023.
Font and Colors
The emblem from the 1970s inspired the vintage Natty Light font. The Gothic letters with sharp ends and decorative elements add expressiveness and uniqueness to the brand’s visual image. The blue color of the inscription is associated with purity and freshness, and the golden hop cones reflect warmth and light. This symbolizes the product’s naturalness.
In another logo, the brand name is typed in an oblique bold font with short sharp serifs. Some uppercase letters on the edges have cuts that give them an angular shape. Such a design conveys a sense of energy, motion, and dynamism, which matches the brand’s image targeted at students. The color scheme also looks youthful: the dark red expresses passion and thirst, while the blue with a slight gradient is associated with coolness.