Package Design - April 2014 - 8

SNAPSHOTS

Revved Up
for Rally

Beer packaging celebrates
extreme motor-enthusiast event.

Peak of
Perfection

Craft beer lineup receives
packaging evolution.

W

ith resurgence of the craft brewery in America, Summit
Brewing Company's package design blended in with the
mundane appearance of other brewers' package designs on the
market. Mark Stutrud, founder and brewmaster, aspired a
return to the heritage of the brand, revitalizing the inception of
Summit, and why Stutrud started brewing in the first place.
Enter Duffy & Partners (www.duffy.com), a Minneapolis-based
design firm. "They wanted an evolution, not a revolution. They
didn't want to start from scratch, knowing that they have a great
heritage," says Joseph Duffy IV, design director at Duffy &
Partners.
Duffy & Partners searched for existing equity in the Summit
brand to work with. The Summit name provided for a great foundation. Summit, the term not only represents the peak of a
mountain, but also a main historic city street significant in St.
Paul. "We basically took Summit and we tipped it from an arch
underneath to make it into a street sign. Angling it into a chevron shape," This design application, described by Duffy, transformed the Summit logo into a street sign for "Summit Avenue"
and evokes the incline of a peak, representing the word summit,
in general.
Each beer variety features a package design that tells a story,
paying homage to the city of St. Paul or state of Minnesota.
Influenced by Art Deco, the color palette for the Summit lineup
is made up of dusty jewel tones, bringing illustrations to life with
a slightly rustic, grey tinge.
One challenge to address while designing the Summit packaging included achieving consistency throughout the various substrates used, including: labels, cardboard coated six-packs,
uncoated cardboard cases. "We basically carried around a master
physical Pantone chip board and we went to all of the press
checks with the different printers, throughout the state and
around the country and literally had to match as best as we could
to try to make sure they all held together." explains Duffy.
8

APRIL 2014

T

he Dakar Rally, is an extreme sporting event that
pushes the limits, as off-road drivers of motorcycles, ATVs, cars and trucks compete by testing their handling and
navigational skills
in stunning deserts
across the globe.
For the first time
in Dakar's nearly
30 year history, the
event was held in
Bolivia this January. Welcoming
Dakar, Paceña, a
Bolivian beer produced in La Paz joins forces as official sponsor of the
automotive competition. In celebration of the event, a
limited-edition Paceña package design was created by
Argentinean branding and packaging studio, Pierini Partners (www.pierinipartners.com).
Designed by Pierini Partner's creative CEO and
graphic designer, Adrian Pierini, "The design seeks, first
to reflect the extreme level of this competition by resorting to more rustic visual resources like spots, irregular
strokes and diagonal composition." The Pilsner brew's
packaging mirrors Dakar's mainstay color palette of red,
white, black and gold. "We were requested to create a
high impact packaging that could break with the traditional codes of the category, and reflect in a clear way
immediate emotions and feelings that the Dakar transmits," those feelings being: action and hardiness among
others explains Pierini.
Released in January 2014, to coincide with the event,
an ATV and motorcycle are represented via illustrations
on pack. "The images were chosen for their "threadbare"
treatment, keeping the overall style. It's location on the
plane was designed to generate a sense of perspective
and spatiality, considering a possible distortion due to
the fold that the can has on top." continues Pierini.
Action is expressed in the Paceña logo, demanding attention. A rustic synthesis of ATV and motorcycle illustrations are placed intentionally misaligned, further
enhancing the Dakar spirit. Enalbo, a Bolivian supplier
produced and printed the rugged aluminum cans.
Package Design - April 2014

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