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When people I meet ask me what we do at AR Design, I find it hard to encapsulate all the facets of graphic design and marketing into something succinct and engaging. My best effort is, “We make beautiful things for businesses.” But that seems kinda vague and still, a little off.
So, a go-to that seems to work is, “we design beer packaging.” That’s when I see the proverbial light bulb turn on. Most people know the experience of finding their favorite beer on the grocery store shelf, what it looks like, how it calls them from afar, how it evokes memories of good times. So when I talk about what we do, it is that feeling, that idea, that they can connect with and understand what we “do.”
Over the past few years, we have had the privilege to work with a lot of breweries who make amazing beer. Each of these breweries brings a product to the table that is, on its own, worthy of recognition. But no one picks up unlabeled brown bottles on a shelf and says, “Ooh, I need that!” It is our job to create a design that speaks to people. Maybe it’s the name, the flavor profile, or just something more abstract about the beer that inspires us. Whatever it is, we find a way to make that beer speak for itself. We make people see it and have the sensation that their life will be better with that beer in their hand.
Celebrating The Good, The Bad, and The Bubbly
So as we get ready to celebrate National Beer Day on September 7th (the same day as Labor Day – how perfectly aligned is that?) we take the opportunity to appreciate beer and all its beautiful features. The refreshing taste, the sound they make when they cling together over a shared happy moment, and of course, seeing a well-designed beer on the shelf and saying, “That’s the one I am here for.”