Looking Good: Oh Beautiful Beer
The craft beer movement is growing like wildfire, up 11% by volume in 2010 and jumping 15% in the first half of last year, according to trade group The Brewers Association. Even though it still represents less than 7% of the total of U.S. beer sales, the growth means it takes more and more effort to differentiate each new offering from the big beer shelf bullies, and also from each other.
One of the best ways to do this is with the packaging. This includes the beer’s logo, the printing on the cardboard carrier, the can or the label and even the bottle itself. Happily, the people who care about great taste in their products also seem to have the same respect for the graphics that showcase that product, and there has been an explosion of wonderfully beery graphic design.
Popping up to showcase this goodness is Oh Beautiful Beer, which “celebrates remarkable graphic design from the world of beer” in blog form. This is thanks to designer Harvey Shephard, a Texas-based freelancer. Head to the site and add it to your RSS reader or go follow on Twitter or other social media to be wowed by the ever-growing collection of gorgeous brew media.