Inspired by the brewer’s Mexican heritage, Vault49 used handcrafted artisanal elements to tell the brand’s colourful history, while elevating Sol’s iconic sun symbol as a vibrant beacon of positivity.

Sol approached Vault49 after a separate redesign in the US in the hopes of creating a powerful, authentic packaging design for global markets. The idea was that a new design in these markets would more deeply engage drinkers with Sol’s brand story and proposition: “Sol connects you to the positive energy of the sun.”

Sol wanted to further establish itself as an aspirational, premium option; moving away from a gritty, rebellious identity and into a vibrant, colourful, and positive vehicle for summoning sunny urban adventures that it believes more authentically reflects the brand and its drinkers.  

This led Vault49 to eschew classic visual cues around “craft” identities, and rather, to look to the work of Mexican artisans as a way of expressing Sol’s vibrant attitude and story. The agency drew inspiration from the energetic confidence of work handcrafted by Mexican artisans.

Sam Wilkes, Creative Director at Vault49, says: “We were struck by the way that Mexican craft is so full of vibrant spontaneity and joyful colours. Texture plays a central role, through the use of natural materials and pigments which elevate the human nature of the designs. This combination of art, approachability, and heritage was the aesthetic we wanted to communicate for Sol through the new packaging.”

To create the new design for Sol, Vault49 brought the techniques behind Mexican artisan designs into the studio, allowing the learnings from Mexican art to determine the brand assets designers would create and the tools they would use to create it.

In studio, designers crafted all of the assets by hand: for Vault49’s new take on the iconic Sol sun and clouds, they created a hand cut lino print with process drawn from what was learned about artisanal saddle making. Hand-painted sun rays and medallions on the pack, and a new vibrant, welcoming colour palette embody the positive energy of the sun and harken back to Sol’s authentic roots.

“By making the sun the hero of the pack and infusing the packaging with premium artistry that is directly informed by where the brand came from, we’ve brought back Sol’s lost heritage,” says Wilkes.