Client: Diageo

Aviation is the creation story of a new gin segment: American gin. Unlike London dry gins, Aviation is not juniper heavy, but has a lighter herbal profile creating a more approachable, easier-to-drink gin. Branding it as American Gin distinguished it from the London Dry, Plymouth, and Old Tom styles that were decidedly European in personality. The name was originally a nod to a famous gin cocktail of the 1920s, and we expanded its meaning to evoke the art deco age when the Aviation cocktail was first mixed by the head bartender at Hotel Wallace in New York City. The identity and packaging design provided pedigree and a leading role for gin in the US. Notably, gaining accolades of investor and creative promoter Ryan Reynolds, and an eventual purchase of the brand by Diageo.