My senior exhibition consisted of branding designs for three fictional brewing companies. The goal was to have a logo, bottle labels, a 6 pack design, coasters, pint glasses, and an advertisement for each company. Stout Mountain was unique because, with the help of my good friend Ted Kutina, we were able to collaborate on a commercial as it’s advertisement.
The logo was submitted to the Buffalo AAF and earned me my first Silver ADDY award.
The Canada based Stout Mountain Brewing Company brews with nature and adventure in mind. Their logo is made to represent a mountainous sunset scene, and to give a sense of the outdoors. It’s inspired by badges or patches that would be found on hikers and outdoor lovers all over the world. This logo can be broken down into three main symbols. The mountain in the center, the tri-colored sunset background, and the maple leaf. All three are direct references to nature and the outdoors, with the maple leaf also invoking thoughts of the Canadian wilderness and autumn leaves. The color scheme for Stout Mountain also reinforces the idea of autumn, with the colors of the sunset being that of the changing leaves. The off-white shows snowcapped peaks of the mountain, and also helps to give the logo the feeling of age and warmth. The teal is a beautiful contrast to the other colors, helping the company name stand out. The text is placed just under the mountain, and fits nicely inside the given space. The perfect logo for a company that markets itself to those who love and cherish the outdoors, or want to connect with it when they are far from it.
The box art is a continuation of the same color scheme, allowing the mountain to fully encompass the front and back. The autumnal colors make up the sides, and appear in the leaves on the handle. Although simple, the box art solidifies those main themes and ties the brand together.
While working on the logo and packaging designs for Stout Mountain, I was able to get the help of my friend Ted Kutina to turn a simple branding project into something a little more interesting. Ted is a talented writer and filmmaker who was more than happy to take the opportunity to make a collaborative project for both our portfolios. Even though I was working on the designs themselves, Ted and I spent multiple weekends location scouting and shooting. I got in contact with Flying Bison, a local Buffalo brewery, and they allowed us to get footage inside their facility. I was able to get the bottles finished right before filming. We then collaborated on a script, bouncing ideas off one another with the end goal of having an actual voiceover artist read our script for the final commercial. After a significant investment of time, money, and effort from Ted and I. We were able to produce a special project to end my college career.
