In High School I loved drinking Monster energy drinks as well as a few others. I loved their design, so I dreamt of making my own.

Recently I decided to use my old brand as a passion project to tune my branding chops.

After a few revisions, I changed from curvy lines to angular. I chose the AR Destine font. I wanted the brand to have an edgy feel to it. It needed to have a bite. The angular aspect of AR Destine fit the bill perfectly.

I altered the kerning on the font to align "Adrenaline" with "Energy" and to create contrast between the two.

In preparation for a render I created labels in Photoshop. The baseline of the heartbeat in the logo offered a perfect line for dividing the two colors for each flavor. I decided to make the colors bright, to create an uplifting, exciting feel for the brand

I differentiated the green of "Lime" from the green of "Kiwi" using contrast in brightness.

I decided to lay out the three flavors in increasing size, drawing the eye from the left to the right and creating a feeling of approaching towards the viewer... A brand coming closer and becoming larger.

I previously played with a layout, two in the back and one in the middle coming forward. It wasn't bad, but it lacked purpose and reason for the layout. Once I put a purpose into the way I laid out the cans, I decided this direction was the best choice.

The harsh lighting, creating a shine was also purposeful. My first revision had more muted lighting, producing no shine. It creates an edgier look, highlights the dew on the cans, and defines the shadows more clearly, making it all pop with the extra contrast.

I created an ad mockup. The purpose of this ad was to create awareness of a new brand.

While the competitor call-out is risky, and something I would only suggest to a real-world client in rare situations where the company is comfortable taking on a more controversial and bold business move, it is extremely effective in the purpose.

There's no better way to stick in people's minds as an unheard, unseen brand than to equate yourself with the behemoth in the room.

A white background is perfect to clearly define the shadows and allow the colors and the cans to pop.

What do you think?

What do you like about this project?