Creating a Memorable Package Design

Our Approach

As a digital design and branding agency, we get to work on a wide variety of brands and products. Each project we work on provides us the opportunity for an exciting adventure to learn something new, make something great, and put something into the world that our clients and our team can be proud of. When a project combines some of our favorite things (like beer and design, for example) it can be an extra special experience. This package design project was exactly that.

Saint Louis Hop Shop was looking to commemorate the hard work of building their successful business by doing what they know best: working with friends to create a beer. The Hop Shop worked with Modern Brewery to develop a flavor profile and brew this delicious new creation. When these creators approached us to design the vessel for this delicious liquid masterpiece, we happily obliged.

Project Discovery

We had multiple beers brainstorming sessions with the team at the Hop Shop during the discovery phase until we finally settled on the concept that got released to market. Since the beer is a Belgian ale with pomegranate, aged in French sauvignon blanc barrels, we decided that the final design should take inspiration from wine packaging. This set the tone for the rest of the research and we got ankle deep in Belgian type-treatments, paper styles, and other old world elements.

Design & Production

It was around this time that we decided it would be a good idea to bring in our friends at Firecracker Press to consult on the actual packaging substrate and application. Since this would be a limited release, we wanted to add special touches that would make it feel unique and stand apart from other packaging on the shelf. For the packaging graphics, we found inspiration in classic Belgian typefaces, and drew the lettering by hand to capture the specific aesthetic we were looking for on Fruits du Labeur. The smaller elements on the packaging bring everything together. A commemorative badge was produced, encouraging drinkers to share the beer with friends, and each detail down to the typeface for the fluid ounces and ABV were laid out, just so. Each bottle is hand-dipped in wax and stamped with the Modern Brewery logo to add just one more level of detail.

Packaging Implications

Putting together a solid, purposeful design was not nearly the end of the project. At the time in which this design was produced, there was one person in the state of Missouri from the Alcohol & Tobacco Bureau that reviewed all packaging for the entire state. We made sure to do some diligent research up-front, and even got some insight from another local brewery to make the process go smoothly. We learned that beer labels need to include the brewery’s legal name, which can be different from the brand name of the brewery, beers produced in Missouri need to be measured in pints and ounces, not milliliters, and include a long legal statement among other things. Thanks to an internal review process and the input from our clients, the packaging design was approved on the first pass.

Cheers.

On release day, the entire inventory of Fruits du Labeur was sold out, with lines out the door and around the corner from the Hop Shop. The beer was met with praise for its color, flavor, and packaging alike. Since the release of the packaging, the design and production has been featured in a variety of publications and received multiple honors, including a feature on Packaging of the World and a St. Louis Addy Award.

Brevity has a passion for creating beautiful brands, websites, packaging, and more. If you’re looking to enhance the shelf presence of your product, get in touch with us to start the conversation.