System Hike
System Hike is a personal project. All work seen here is speculative.
The design uses a transparent label on dark glass. The glass itself evokes the expanse of space where all other elements are floating within that space or are superimposed over it like a HUD.
“Functional“ elements are contrasted with the illustrated elements of the map. Planets have stippled textures and color. The stippling gives the illustrations a more handmade appearance and The colors give personality. It should feel as if a cartographer drew this on their journey.
Some travel poster illustrations were created to align to the space-hike theme and give personality to different planets.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
CHALLENGE: To create a personality-driven series of related beer designs that can be sold as individual units or bundled together in a package.
SOLUTION: Inspired by a recent re-reading the Lord of the Rings and the Dune series, I centered my packaging design around a space themed “world map”. I wanted the map on the bottle to be thought of as an interactive storytelling element that adds playful, imaginary context to each individual beer flavor. The overall theme is that each beer flavor is sourced from a different planet in a solar system and you, the drinker, are on a space-hike to collect these flavors.
RESULT: By leveraging storytelling, the beer brand gains collectability. The consumer’s role play experience, that they are tasting flavors of other planets, will increase the amount of units sold. Adventurous consumers may opt for the variety pack to immerse themselves in all the flavors and more picky consumers may be persuaded to try new flavors.
The design follows Federal U.S. government regulations. Guidelines of proper use of legible, readable typefaces and sizes are adhered to and the consumer is well informed that they are buying an alcoholic beverage.
Process Snapshots
I organized the label design using the golden ratio. A wide 12oz heritage beer bottle was used so that map could be featured at a decipherable scale.
I experimented with a variety of aesthetic concepts including more flat, symbolic forms. Sketches include more planet designs and representations of warp-speed.
