This project came about as a way to say thank you to the clients and creative partners who have worked with Slater over the years. We wanted to send something out that could be enjoyed throughout the year, and so ‘A Year of Beer’ was born. The range for four beers is inspired by the seasons, a light lager with a bite for Spring, a hoppy IPA for Summer, a ruby red ale for Autumn, and a rich black IPA for Winter. These create a gradient of colour ranging from light to dark through the year.
The label aesthetic is inspired by the typographic style found in the likes of a farmers’ almanac, combined with elements of vintage beer label design. On the front of each label is an embossed roundel with product information, and illustrated seasonal icons. Bright colours were chosen for each season, with winter set apart as the only dark label. A spot metallic ink was also used on all of the labels to highlight key elements. Each label features an almanac for that season, giving a few key dates and Celtic Zodiac signs for each month.
We created a notebook to accompany the gift. It includes the tasting notes of each beer, and blank tasting note and planner pages to record the details of any special beers encountered during the year, or note down dates for celebration.
A real time scrolling calendar was created to work alongside the project. Users can check in throughout the year to see if there are any significant dates coming up to celebrate, or maybe look up their Celtic zodiac sign. You can check it out at slaterdesign.com/beer.
