Elysian Brewing is one of the biggest breweries in the country. When it was founded in 1996, the brewery was in the heart of Seattle’s burgeoning DIY, music, and art scenes, playing host to the city’s creatives with equally creative beer. As Elysian has grown, they’ve faced a unique challenge: How does a brewery rooted in 90’s Seattle grunge show up today?
Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Brand & Product Naming
Packaging Design
Voice & Tone
Copywriting
Special Projects
Additional Photography: Elysian Brewing Company
Often thought of as the “Space Dust Brewery,” we were tasked with helping address a challenge that turned into an opportunity: a brand extension of their flagship beer that was worthy of its predecessor.
Juice Dust is a citrus packed “Alter Ego” of Space Dust, and it’s filled to the brim with orange flavor and notes. There’s nothing subtle about it, and we wanted the packaging to be as bold and loud as the beer inside.
We worked hand-in-hand with the Elysian design and marketing teams to concept and name the new beer, and then give it life with packaging design and a visual identity to expand beyond the can.
The message is simple: it’s the Space Dust you love, but super juiced with citrus flavor.
Dawn Again is vitamin D overload in a can. This beer reverberates, causing you to recognize that life emerges, a new day comes, and there’s always an opportunity to Party On.
While the skull presence is undeniable, the highly rendered details within steal the show. Flowers bloom along the sides of the cranium, mushrooms emerge from the eye sockets, a true exploration of life from the remnants of what once was.
Fields Premium is what happened when we asked ourselves how Elysian shows up to celebrate wins, from the stadium to the mini golf course.
We wanted something that connected with their Lumen Field-adjacent pub so we looked to classic sports typography, color and layout, but with a twist of Elysian playfulness. A minimalist color palette paired with exaggerated typography helps to bring a modern freshness to the layout.
Long considered Elysian’s original spirit animal, a curious crow once visited one of the founders as ground was being broken on their first brewery. A ceremony was held. Some 20 years later, we honored that legacy by putting that crow on the packaging, certifying it delicious.
SAMCOM (Anheuser-Busch’s Sales and Marketing Communications Meeting) is a chance for the craft breweries in the portfolio to show off their big ideas. Elysian wanted to make a big splash and showcase their brand new Juice Dust Juicy IPA. We helped the Elysian team hone in on their idea of building a giant six pack that you can walk into, and when you do, you find yourself in a Seattle dive bar.
Elysian worked with the amazing folks at BeCore who concepted and built out the actual structure, while we were tasked with creating additional storytelling design and video assets to breathe some Elysian personality into the space.
One of these pieces of content included a 5-minute broadcast of custom 90’s style infomercials and sports broadcasts. They’re weird and terrifying – we love them.
Over the course of our time together we’ve worked on hundreds of projects, big and small. From sell sheets, to point of sale, to full blown trade campaigns, packaging design, and even a 50 lb anniversary box with 25 beers and other oddities — collectibles, jokes, art, and over-the-top experiences to showcase the rich 25-year history of the brewery.
Over the course of a few short months, our team flushed out the idea of a wild, celebratory, out-of-the box experience for Elysian fans. The result was a 25-pack anniversary box unlike any other. Not just beers, but things—collectibles, jokes, art, and over-the-top experiences to showcase the rich 25-year history of the brewery.
The 25th Anniversary logo is inspired by Elysian’s roots in the art and music scenes of 90’s Seattle. Our lead designer put strips of duct tape on a piece of paper, scanned it, re-scanned it, and then manipulated the results to create a design language that reflects that DIY ethos. From there, a brand mark with just the numerals XXV became the visual calling card for the whole project.
The project seemed simple on the surface—build a landing page that showcased Elysian’s newest beer, Dank Dust. Elysian had a name, “The Bodanka” and wanted to highlight the beer’s trippy illustrations and late-night vibe. We took this prompt and created an online world for Dank Dust in a bodega filled with easter eggs and the sights and smells of the 90’s.
