Packaging technology is constantly evolving and large beverage companies such as Carlsberg have funded projects developing 100% bio-based, recyclable beer bottles. Blue Sky Brewing Company, an environmentally conscious brewery in Denver, Colorado, is highly anticipating its release in the United States and needed a new branding identity and packaging to accompany the release of their new flavors. Centering around the name of the brand, “Blue Sky,” my primary inspirations highlight Colorado outdoor life and the extensive natural ecosystem that exists within the state.

Initially, I sought to create a more traditional brewery logo with softer, illustrative features. Those iterations developed into a more rugged profile that captures the mountainous Colorado landscape and roughness the outdoor activities such as hiking and skiing.

I wanted to create a branding system that was versatile and could be applied in a variety of contexts. Below you can see the main logo as well as the logo variants. The color palette borrows from the Colorado state flag as well as the outdoor landscape. The entire branding system features modern inspirations with rugged applications.

Working with a paper material for the bottles allowed for a bit more play and discovery when it came to bottle designs. Rather than traditional beer bottles which need a label to adhere to the surface, I developed a bottle design that could be embossed or printed directly onto the bottle.

In order to emphasize the environmentally conscious mindset of the brewery, each flavor is named after a mountain in Colorado. It was important to create a labeling system that accurately represented each location while still communicating flavor. Each beer type is given its own icon and gets paired with an illustration of the mountain to create the beer label. On the back is a brief bio of the mountain as well as illustrations of local wildlife.