Samuel Adams Logo PNG
Meaning and history
Samuel Adams is the flagship beer brand of The Boston Beer Company. Its identity has changed around a continuing feature: a prominent serif wordmark. Earlier labels paired the name with an illustration of Samuel Adams holding a mug; later designs placed the wordmark in a shield. The brand takes its name from the Revolutionary-era patriot. The company describes him as “a man of independent mind and spirit,” while the Oxford Companion to Beer notes that he is believed to have been at least a maltster (The Boston Beer Company; Craft Beer & Brewing).
The Boston Beer Company was founded by Jim Koch in 1984. Its Samuel Adams Boston Lager, made from a recipe attributed to Koch’s great-great-grandfather Louis, debuted at Boston bars and restaurants on April 15, 1985, according to the company’s history.
1984 – 2016
The archive groups the early identity under this heading. The historical label design combined the serif name with a full-colour figure raising a mug. It was not unchanged throughout the period: The Motley Fool described a modest update around 2011, with the mug raised higher and brighter colours while the type changed little (The Motley Fool). The stage plate shown here is a plain blue field, so it does not display those label details.
2016 – 2019
In October 2016, the Boston Lager packaging replaced the illustrated figure with a shield, a red star, a centred pint glass, and an engraving of the Samuel Adams statue at Faneuil Hall. Boston Business Journal reported Jim Koch’s explanation that the star represents colonial America and the glass stands for “great beer at the heart of America”; GDUSA also covered the statue and shield (Boston Business Journal; GDUSA).
2019 – present
In 2019, design agency Our Friends created a new identity and packaging system, described on its project page as a “wall of blue.” The serif wordmark remained, now paired with a shield outline; the image above shows the name within that outline on a light field. Designalytics dates the Boston Lager package launch to summer 2019 (Our Friends; Designalytics). The 2026 anniversary collection used retro-inspired packaging for a variety pack rather than introducing a new master identity, according to the announcement distributed by GlobeNewswire.
Typography and colour
The serif wordmark links the stages, while the surrounding forms and colours distinguish them. The 2016 shield uses a white name and red star against a dark blue field. The 2019 packaging system makes blue a prominent feature, with pack colours varying. These visible differences frame the same brand name in two distinct ways.
Disclaimer
This article is part of the educational resources provided by Logo Index, an independent archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. Samuel Adams and associated trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective rights holders where applicable.
