Project overview
About
The goal of this project was to create two beer can designs that felt connected as a pair while celebrating Ottawa’s unique history.
Inspired by the darker, more haunted side of the city’s past, I wanted to create designs that captured a spooky, atmospheric feel. Since the project was developed in October, leaning into the Halloween season felt like the perfect opportunity to explore this concept.
Beer Can Design
Timeline
From start to finish this project took 5 weeks to complete
The Final Result
The final designs captured the creepy, cartoonish style and nostalgic feel I envisioned from the start. Together, the cans create a cohesive pair, while each design has its own unique personality that allows it to stand on its own.
The Design
Creating the ghoul took several rounds of sketching and experimentation to find the right balance between creepy and cartoonish, capturing the playful, retro-inspired style I was aiming for. Once I was happy with the character, I used it as the foundation for the rest of the background and overall composition.
For Order in the Crypt, I drew inspiration from the haunted legends surrounding Parliament Hill. To incorporate this piece of Ottawa’s history, I designed the background portraits to represent past political figures rumoured to still haunt the city. This helped connect the label to the local folklore while adding another layer of storytelling to the design.
Style Choice
For the visual style, I wanted the designs to feel as though they were pulled straight from a classic Scooby-Doo episode. This playful, retro inspired aesthetic ties into the target audience by creating a sense of nostalgia, while also complementing the spooky themes of Ottawa’s haunted history. The result is a fun, familiar style that gives the can labels a distinct personality and makes them feel like part of a larger story.
Research
Research played a key role in this project. I explored Ottawa’s history to uncover the stories, legends, and darker details that would help shape the personality of the beer cans. This research informed the overall visual direction, allowing me to create designs that felt connected to the city’s haunted past while giving each can its own distinct character.
A look behind
The Process
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