Pairs Well With
De La Soul
Migration Brewing recently tasked Harlo to create the first of a series of limited beer can designs for their Hop Fire campaign. The Hop Fire Volume 1 beer can design was inspired by a classic 90’s hip-hop album called 3 feet high and rising by the group De La Soul. The design is meant to be colorful, fun and grab the attention of in-pub consumers who favor Migration’s IPA’s. Launched in the Summer of 2021, the beer and its vibrant packaging quickly got the attention of loyal customers and beer enthusiasts alike and sold out faster than they could stock it.
The Creative Process
After meeting with the client, we found that there were three key characteristics that they wanted translated into a beer can – make it fun, unexpected, and urban. As we began concepting, we went in a few different directions, but ultimately landed on a more nostalgic approach that paid homage to the 90's. From there, we started to create stylescapes that would bring our vision to life.
For context, a stylescape is a carefully curated combination of images, textures, typography, and colors to communicate a certain look and feel of a brand, website, interior space, or any other design project. Think of them as moodboards taken to the next level. So for the Hop Fire project, we picked out elements that would reflect the 90’s theme while bringing in a summer vibe. Bright and bold colors. Quirky typography. Images of fun summer activities like skateboarding and maxing out at a swimming pool. Even our clients made the cut.
Once we established our direction, we began creating small visual “stickers” to add into the design. We attempted to illustrate or distort our type to make the title of the beer more playful while also keeping the Migration’s brand top of mind. We included their use of typography and how they communicate their visual story through their packaging.
After looking at De La Soul’s Three Feet High and Rising album cover, it immediately became inspiration for the packaging. To create a fun, playful vibe, and to highlight the unique hop color, we used a vivid yellow to wrap the can along with accents of bright blue and orange. Throw in some unique visual cues and you've got instant personality.
