Westbound & Down Brewing Co. pride themselves in making sophisticated, challenging & delicious craft-beer. They wanted a dynamic label system that easily identifies new additions to an evolving (and limited) collection of bespoke beer releases.

The brewers at Westbound & Down wanted to break out of craft-beer conventions with beer & packaging that redefines the category and elevates their product at levels generally associated with high-end wine.

We created a dynamic series of oversized & bespoke numerals, applied to a rigid grid for information, making each beer feel unique while simultaneously forming a visually compelling collection.

Playful use of typography underpins this concept. The energy, creativity & passion that goes into the brewing process is echoed through the creative direction of these labels. The intention behind the typography mimics the nuance of the beer.

The brewery offers a 'Bottle Club' subscription service to a select group of beer aficionados. Every 1-2 months they release new editions to an evolving collection of uniquely brewed beer intended to captivate, challenge & inspire their savvy audience.

We created a canvas for typographic expression by establishing a minimal yet rigid label grid - designed to present all of the mandatory label information. In contrast, oversized bespoke (one-off) numerals freely overlap the support structure to reinforce the flair associated with crafting beer at this level.

The decision to present the beer in oversized bottles more akin to wine provides a visual link to the overlap of these two worlds. Wine processes have been adopted throughout the collection, imbuing flavor & funk to an otherwise craft-beer centric space.

We wanted a label that felt more like the toothy pages of a beautiful book, versus those of a glossy mag. Tactility is not often associated with beer packaging, where labels tend to be smooth or synthetic (to survive in the chiller). Tactile fridge-safe stocks have allowed us to challenge the status quo.

Since its launch in early 2018, the collection includes 5 editions with more due for release soon — we're excited to see how the series unfolds.