Graphic Designer & Illustrator
Brewery Beer Can Design
Adobe Photoshop, 2020
Freelance Project
​
I was approached by a brewer from a new local science-fiction-themed brewery, Spacecat Brewing Company. I met with the head brewer and one of the owners to discuss the inspiration behind the name of the company, the science-fiction media that inspired them, and tour their new facility. They were looking for can designs to use for their first run of beers and for use in future merchandise.
​
The biggest challenge in developing designs for their product line was that none of the beers they were developing cans for had been made or named yet. They were still perfecting their recipes and focusing on preparing for their grand opening. The design I came up with needed to reflect the brand and be versatile enough the be used on aluminum cans and other merchandise. It also needed to be simple enough that it could be edited to fit text over or around it once a name for the beer has been decided.
Visions of the Future
During our initial conversation, we talked about science-fiction book covers, movie posters, and other illustrations. They shared with me the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Visions of the Future poster series.
The series of illustrative posters were made to look like travel posters for different destinations across our galaxy. Each poster has a different, bold style advertising the locations as tourist destinations.
Cats in Space
Prismacolor Marker
After our conversation, I began sketching out ideas for different can designs. Since the clients were so passionate about the NASA posters, I wanted my designs to reflect the basic concepts illustrated in the series. My designs would also be landscape, have bold contrasting colors, and focus on a specific fictional location or structure. Unlike the NASA posters, my designs would involve structures and architecture inspired by cat toys in alien landscapes.
​
For my first illustration, I wanted to create an isometric cat tower-like alien structure emerging from the water on another planet. I usually start with markers or ink on paper when starting a digital illustration. Markers allow me to experiment with different colors and forms. Marker illustrations are also much easier to manipulate and edit once imported into Photoshop and Illustrator than pencil drawings. After finishing the sketch, I imported it into Illustrator and made my drawing the base layer of a new file.
​
​
Vectoring the Image
Adobe Illustrator
Since I wanted to create an isometric design, I started in Adobe Illustrator. In Illustrator, I could utilize the net tool to create a guide for my design to snap to as I drew with the pen tool. Using this method allowed my design to keep all the lines parallel. I created a variety of structures based on different cat towers I found online and used varying tones of grey to keep track of which sides of the design should be in shadow.
​
After adding some color to the design, I ultimately decided that I did not like the look of the illustration. It felt too static, and I wanted my design to have a more hand-drawn feel to it. I saved the vector and used it as a base layer in Adobe Photoshop to them paint over.
Digital Painting
Adobe Photoshop
I had recently purchased a Wacom Tablet to experiment with Photoshop painting and create more illustrative work for my portfolio. Using the tablet, I started drawing over my original sketch while experimenting with different brushes. I saved color swatches as I went on the side of the document to keep my colors consistent throughout the process.
​
During the sketching process, I realized that I was not properly utilizing layers. If I needed to go back into my file to adjust colors or shapes, then I would need to keep my layers separated and organized. I started a new file. In this file, I worked with the vector image as a base. I made a new layer for every shape and color used as I went. Each section was organized into its own layer folder. This made it easy to back and edit anything no matter how far into the process I was.
Adding Detail
Adobe Photoshop
Since I had a plan and clear vision for what the finished design should look like, the process of painting in Photoshop went quickly. With the basic forms in place, I began using a larger size charcoal brush to add highlights and shadows to the shapes I had drawn. This added depth and helped to add texture making the design look hand-drawn.
​
I wanted to incorporate more beer imagery into my design. I researched the different types of tubes and valves used in brewing beer and added them to the structure. I had originally intended to have a ship sitting at the top of the structure, but I changed it to a bottle to fit the theme. I also added some small figures in shadow to give scale to the scene.
Final Product
Adobe Photoshop
Once the illustration was complete, I saved the file and used it in a mockup of the design on a 16 oz aluminum can. The mockup was just a way to show the client what the design could look like on the finished product.
I also wanted to show that once a name had been decided for use on the cans, I could manipulate the design to fit more text. The mountains in the forefront of the design added balance to the finished piece, but they also allowed me to add more negative space to fit text above or below them.
​
I presented the finished design to the clients. Unfortunately, the opening of the brewery was delayed indefinitely due to complications with the construction of the building. The clients were happy with the design and were interesting in using them when they could focus on canning and not construction issues. They have since opened, and I am still in contact with them about using my design.
​
​
