JDub's Brewing Company
Packaging Design / Craft Beer Can DesignAn illustrated can design for Poolside Kölsch, built to connect the shelf experience with the JDub’s brand on tap.
A flagship beer. A foundation for the whole lineup.
A little Florida, before the first sip
Poolside already had a place in JDub’s flagship lineup. Its next can needed to capture more of the experience behind the name: water, sunshine, and the anticipation of switching off. But the brewery was thinking beyond one beer. This refresh also needed to establish a direction that future flagship packaging could share.
Finding the idea beneath the surface
We explored the brand through mood boards, word associations, and sketches, looking for a visual expression of refreshment. An underwater world of bubbles and movement became the chosen direction. Bringing the brewery’s tap handle into the illustration created a connection between two familiar encounters with the beer: ordering it at the bar and finding it on a shelf.
Where the illustration meets the aluminum
The design then had to work on a real can. Together with JDub’s and Ball’s packaging team, we worked within six Pantone colors and used the aluminum itself as another visual element. That production constraint was part of the creative problem. The finished direction gave Poolside its own character while establishing shared cues for a recognizable family of beers.
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