"Want to try designing a new die-cut shape for us?"
That was the start of this project for Orange County-based craft brewers The Bruery. The old labels for their Preservation Series of beers had small tabs which kept getting snagged in the labeling machine, forcing them to scrap "hundreds of labels." When I asked Director of Marketing Benjamin Weiss for more details, he opened the door for a broader redesign of the Preservation Series: "We can change [everything about the label] if you really want to go crazy....Up to your direction."
I ended up providing 3 options which ranged from an incremental change to the dieline all the way up to a brand new look for the Series.
Option 1 - Incremental Dieline Change
All I did here was to modify the dieline to eliminate the small edges which were getting caught in the labeling machine.
Option 2 - Brand Hierarchy Change
In this round, I took the opportunity to address some things about the Preservation labels which struck me as odd. For one thing, the Preservation artwork seemed to overwhelm the Bruery logo, and played up "Preservation Series" at the expense of "The Bruery." Also, the placement of the Bruery logo in the lower half felt awkward and kind of arbitrary. It made the label rather top-heavy, so I tried to find a better balance between all the graphic elements.
In this round, I took the opportunity to address some things about the Preservation labels which struck me as odd. For one thing, the Preservation artwork seemed to overwhelm the Bruery logo, and played up "Preservation Series" at the expense of "The Bruery." Also, the placement of the Bruery logo in the lower half felt awkward and kind of arbitrary. It made the label rather top-heavy, so I tried to find a better balance between all the graphic elements.
I moved the Bruery logo up to the top, where it sits on almost every other label in their catalog. I altered a few elements of the Preservation artwork to make it fit the bottom half of the label. I redrew the Preservation banner while keeping the same eye-catching red. Finally, I established a system where the name of the beer would appear in a unique typeface on each label, and bracketed by small illustrations.
Option 3- Historical Connections
This option was an attempt to evoke some history and create a story for the series. The shape of the label is inspired by Art Deco styles which would have been popular around the time that Placentia was incorporated as a California city. It is also reminiscent of old logos of the railroads which put Placentia on the map at the turn of the last century.
In the bottom of the label, the Preservation Series banner is now tied to the beer glass and the vintage of the product. The prominent "Orange County" identifier and the old OC map in the background give the Series a time and a place. The map also adds subtle texture and richness to the label. Colors would change to reflect the character of each beer, and as I had done in Option 2, each beer name would appear in a unique typeface.
The Verdict
The client chose Option 3. While they were originally looking for a solution to a problem that was costing them time and materials, they were receptive to investing in a redesign which earned them new attention and solidified their Preservation Series brand.
