DC BRAU Brewing Company

Identity for DC BRAU BREWING COMPANY, Washington DC’s first packaging brewery since 1956.
Making history isn’t always easy especially when you’re dealing with political statements, home rule, and beer...beer in a can. The initial project was to mock-up a design for a beer can that didn’t even exist yet. A beer that no one could taste, a can that no one could hold but, a concept that was so refreshing, so necessary, and spot on that all it needed was a little work to help sell the idea to investors.

“We want the letters ‘DC’ surrounded by...traditional wreath of hops and barley and under that ‘BRAU’– ...the name of the beer is going to be ‘Corruption Ale’...”

I had some initial ideas but, with a beer name like Corruption Ale and a target market of Washington, D.C., there was one approach that came to mind that would suffice the statement I felt the client wanted to make. 

Russian Constructivism. 

The project began like most do...research, brainstorming, and then onto some good old paper sketching. In conjunction with sketching, mood boards played a significant role during the ideation stages and then it was onto the design phase. Physical product mock-ups also played a great role in the design process and were very fun to do. 

After receiving investor support, there was an overwhelming excitement growing for the company as word spread of the upcoming brewery and they felt confident enough to triple the initial beer concept to three flagship beers. So to reduce overall design time and costs in getting the brewery up and running and the product in bars and stores, we came to an agreement to just use the now, trademarked logo, as the primary artwork on the cans for the three flagship beers, The Corruption, The Public, and The Citizen.

Highlights:

  • Washington, D.C.'s first production brewery in 56 years. 
  • The Corruption took 2nd Place in Overall Best Design at the 2012 Canny Awards.
  • The brand identity and the three flagship beer cans were featured in the 2014 book, Canned!: Artwork of the Modern American Beer Can
  • In less than five years, the brewery has more than doubled it's production and is featured at hometown sports stadiums for the Washington Nationals and the DC United. 

Date

2010

Client

DC BRAU Brewing Company

Role

Art Director, Designer