Don Rico Tequila
Don Rico began as my dad’s passion project and quickly became a full-fledged family business rooted in love, craft, and legacy. As the in-house designer, I’ve helped shape everything from the original logo to packaging, murals, and merchandise, building a bold, authentic tequila brand alongside the people who matter most.
BACKSTORY
Branding the Heart of Don Rico
Don Rico began as a passion project rooted in my dad's deep love for tequila and tradition. Rico's journey included many trips to Jalisco, hundreds of tequila tastings, and new friendships in the industry that guided him toward a new vision: to share his life-changing experience with the world. What started as his solo venture quickly grew into a family effort, with my mom, brother, and me all becoming part of the journey.
My own entry into Don Rico began when my dad asked me to draw a logo for the company. I drew up a first draft, expecting rounds of revisions but to my surprise, they fell in love with it immediately and before I knew it, my logo was printed on every bottle. Over time, the logo evolved as the company did, eventually becoming what it is today.
As the in-house designer, I have helped shape Don Rico into an upscale, authentic, family-run tequila brand. My contributions span across visual branding, merchandise, murals, bottle design, packaging, labels, and more. This project represents not just my creative work, but also my role in building something meaningful with the people I love.
BRAND IDENTITY
It's All About Warmth, Confidence, & Celebration
At it's heart, Don Rico isn't just tequila, it's a family story. We wanted the brand identity to reflect that heritage while also speaking to today's audience that values craft and authenticity. Visually, I built a look that's bold, premium, and rooted in tradition. The logo, color palette, and typography were all chosen to feel timeless, but with a modern edge that stands apart from competitors.
LOGO
A Bird's Eye View
Inspiration for the logo came from a bird's eye view of one the first agaves my dad visited in Mexico. With the majority of tequila brands opting for a side profile view of the agave plant, Rico wanted to stand out with a different perspective.
This logo began with a digital drawing of the original agave, complete with deep teal gradients.
I opted for a simpler graphic that removed the black outline and changed the teal to solid black.
I extended the leaves to echo the sharpness of the original outline while refining the border into a perfect circle for clean, consistent formatting.
I decreased the number of leaves and added more negative space for scalibility.
I removed the curvature of the leaves, gave the agave more symmetry, and added even more negative space to create a bold logo you can recognize anywhere.
TYPOGRAPHY
From Drab to Fab!
At the beginning of this journey, I had only been responsible for the agave logo. The typeface was chosen by a designer in Mexico and the labels were designed by Rico using Microsoft Publisher. As my graphic design skills improved, I was tasked with recreating the labels in Adobe Illustrator and as a maximalist, I felt these old logos were just way too plain for a premium, up-and-coming tequila.
Our original logo held a minimalistic, sleek design which worked well for us when we first entered the tequila industry. However…
Enter Tiana Olivo! A maximalist who believes more is MORE. "Hi! Nice to meet you. Did somebody say elevate the Don Rico brand? Alright cool, hold my kombucha…"
Labels
Tasked with the recreation of our labels, I knew we needed a way to stand out because our tequila is seriously delicious. Don't believe me? Take a sip and get back to me.
Anywho, I wanted the label to truly reflect how unique the product is. It needed to look and feel premium while standing out against other bottles on the shelves. I took inspiration from Aztec, Spanish, and art deco designs to create the new labels you see below. And I must say, I'm quite proud.
PACKAGING
As our brand has grown, so have our bottles.
I’ve led the design evolution for our latest lineup, crafting updated packaging for all three original expressions in both 750 mL and 375 mL formats, as well as our upcoming Extra Añejo, all set to debut in Summer 2026. The new original expression bottles are taller and will feature a custom-molded agave pattern in the glass itself. This design choice moves the label from the bottom to the top, giving the bottle a more elevated and intentional feel. Our Extra Añejo special release takes this further with a Spanish tile–inspired motif I designed, etched directly into the glass. It's a permanent mark of tradition and craftsmanship that reflects our roots while raising the bar for what comes next.
Extra Añejo
"A single tile holds the rhythm of centuries."
Box It Up, Baby!
Merchandise
MURALS
What Can't She Do?
The only two murals I’ve ever painted were created for Don Rico, commissioned by my family. I’ve always moved fluidly between mediums, but this was my first time painting at such a scale. It was bold, messy, and completely immersive. I’ll share more about the painting process on my mural page, but here I want to focus on the graphic design work that helped bring one of those murals to life.
