This year has been full of rebrands, reboots and refreshes. Stalwart beers like Stone & Wood Lager and Little Creatures Pilsner were both reinvigorated. Young Henrys Hop Ale turned black.

Pure Blonde became the ultimate lower carb beer. Fat Yak morphed into the Yak Ales franchise. And Brewpack’s Sunny Browning was rebranded as head brewer of Lorry Boys.

Now two small but highly respected breweries have capped off 2015 with brand overhauls that are currently in the process of being rolled out across tap decals and packaging.

Sydney’s Modus Operandi has already jammed a lifetime of experiences into its 18-month history, so a rebranding at this early stage seems only appropriate.

Modus Operandi: Before…

And after

The company this month revealed its new look and feel following a lengthy design consultation with Sydney agency Co Partnership.

“We had a great story behind our initial logo that was very venue specific and very predicated on the history of where our venue stands,” Modus Operandi’s Grant Wearin told Australian Brews News.

“It was a great story to tell to local punters, but it was a story that we didn’t feel was that relevant on a bigger scale.

“It was a hand-drawn image that was really cool for the venue but it was a nightmare to put onto decals and onto cans as we take those forward.

“It was something that was very hard to continue to push as our identity, so we had to simplify it,” said Wearin.

Nail Brewing: Before…

And after

Perth’s Nail Brewing has also had a makeover, assisted by local design studio Zendoke.

Zendoke’s Jarrod Fuller took inspiration from vintage tool box badges for the shape of the new design, Nail’s Pia Poynton told Australian Brews News.

“The original Nail symbol is pretty close to the original but we have removed it from the word ‘Nail’ so it’s no longer the ‘I’ in Nail, which hopefully makes it easier to read and spot on shelves and in bars,” she said.

“We did look at different designs on the symbol but we didn’t want to lose our beloved Nail symbol.

“It’s been like that for 15 years, we have history with it and that means a lot to us and hopefully means a lot to people who have been drinking Nail over the years,” Poynton said.

Modus Operandi will celebrate its rebrand with a tap takeover at the Royal Albert Hotel on Wednesday December 16. Otherwise, you can look out for both breweries’ new label designs in bars and bottleshops over the coming weeks.