Starting in 1995, Dogfish Head was Delaware's first brewpub. From their humble beginnings, they've now grown to produce over 175,000 barrels of beer annually with national distribution. When approached, Dogfish Head had fully embraced their tagline "off-centered ales for off-centered people." Each beer had it's own aesthetic. The lack of consistency made it difficult to find at shelf and fundamentally compromised brand recognition.
The design process centered around maintaining the quirky, DIY energy the brand was founded on. Over 8 months the process included in-depth market strategy + insights, on-premise immersion, concept development, rounds of revisions and final artwork for 21 SKUs spanning their bottles, 6/4 packs and shippers. The result––more brand impact at shelf with a flexible system that highlighted a collaboration with local illustrator John Vogl.
