Below is a snippet of the questions that were asked by Brew & Brewer, plus some insight into our creative outlook and processes.

 

Q: What do brewers need to bear in mind when growing their brewery?

Depending on where a brewer is in the stages of their business, this could vary, but I always recommend planning your year in advance, setting measurable goals for yourself and your team and to communicate effectively with all of your stakeholders; so that they are aware of your plans well in advance of when you hope to execute them. From a branding perspective, brewers need to ensure that their brand, packaging and print collateral effectively communicate who they are and what separates them. Take stock of your brand, does it communicate your values, and reach your targeted market? Do you know who your competitors are? If you do, ensure that you’re differentiating your self either through your product or your marketing communications.

From a creative perspective, when working with brewers, I like to meet quarterly and discuss what is in the works to ensure we are on the same page, our timelines are aligned and my team has ample time to create a label, package or other marketing materials that are going to effectively communicate with their targeted market. How your brand communicates to consumers is a major factor in their decision making, at point of sale, so give your creative team the time they need to get you something special.

 

Q: How is growing a brewery different to starting one from scratch?

When you are already established, all branding, assets and messaging “should” be in place prior to growing your brewery. These are the tools that will assist in creating a voice and communicating why your product is just “so damn good” and why everyone should buy it not once, not twice, but again and again. When growing your brewery, in theory, you should be able to leverage your existing brand and assets and focus on how you can expand them into your new product offering. At this stage you need to be thinking about what your objectives are – are you looking to gain broader distribution? Are you looking to expand our core line-up or offer “one off” seasonal brews? Depending on what your goals are, you may need different things but no matter what, this is a good time to assess your brand and marketing communications, to determine whether they are aligned with your goals.

When you start from scratch the approach is much more in-depth. You need to take a look at market space, conduct a competitor analysis and assess your brands desired message. This plays a crucial role in the brand development process of a brewery. Establishing brand recognition and equity plays a key role in sales, so solidifying this in your earliest stages can help a brewer succeed. The craft beer industry is an extremely loyal industry, so by providing clear, honest messaging and product incentive, you can pursue a loyal following – roughly 60% of craft beer sales is influenced by packaging and label design. A brewer should look to lure potential consumers visually and hook them with a premium, authentic product. Communicate how great the product inside really is.

 

 

Q: If a brewery is growing its capacity and output, why is this the time for a brand refresh (new brewery, new look, etc.)?

Growing capacity and output doesn’t automatically mean that it is the right time to rebrand, but more importantly to assess your current brand. Meaning, if there’s dedicated and loyal customer base in-place, then you may not want to confuse things by refreshing or changing your brand. Instead spend your resources to build out additional brand assets to expand your brand in-order to support the increase in product capacity and potential desire for future seasonal and experimental beers. This is a breweries opportunity to tighten up their messaging in order to re-solidify their brand loyalty and create incentive to entice more followers to climb aboard – sticking true to your values can go along way.

In other cases, this may be the perfect time to rebrand your brewery. If your value proposition is not being effectively communicated and you are not reaching your target market, then even an established brewery may want to use this time to liven things up. Additionally, when making a major shift like this, it is important that the change occurs across all areas of your business. A brewery may not only be increasing their production and capacity but also adding a tasting room, or brewery tours to increase their exposure. Brand continuity is vital – it not only tells a consistent story about your company values and mission, but also the product that you stand behind and swear by – so be authentic and live it everyday whether you are on the tasting room floor, firing up the milling machine or hosting a booth at a local festival.

 

Q: What should breweries consider when rebranding as part of a growth strategy?

The biggest thing to consider when re-branding your brewery is brand “authenticity” – If you’re not going to be authentic and true to the heart of your brand, it will show and it will reflect poorly on your product offering.

Start by answering the “why and who” (Why am I doing this? …Why do I love beer? …Why does this industry get me up in the morning?…Who are we?…Who do we want to buy our beer?). It will set the tone for your brand values, create a unique voice, even influence the ingredients that you choose for your beer styles, but most importantly it will set us (your creative partner) up for success in the way that we approach market research, competitor analysis and explore your brand’s visual identity & packaging designs.

I was in design school at the time and I was learning about layouts and formatting—I really took to it. But I noticed there was a huge gap in the market for an arts/culture/action sports magazine, so I decided I should be the one to create it. The name FOE is an acronym for “freedom of expression,” something that really matters to me. I didn’t set any expectations or deadlines—I just chipped away it, driving around the Island shooting photos, writing articles—until I was ready to hit print. I knew at that point it was full-on. I built out a website, ran a small line of apparel, included stickers with every copy, sponsored small local events—the whole nine yards.

We put out two issues before my schooling became too intense. That’s when I decided to retire the concept. When I started my own design studio, I wanted to honour my accomplishment with the magazine so I named the company FOE Creative as a nod to where it all started.

 

How does the design scene on the Island today compare to the FOE Magazine days?

Since I was in school up Island [at North Island College], the design scene was pretty scarce. It was slowly evolving at the time [2009-2011], but nothing like what was happening in Victoria. That’s changed. There are so many self-taught and motivated individuals running their own ventures now. Because of that, we’re seeing a broader variety of styles and cool concepts—it’s really inspiring.

Tell us about your transition into creating your own design studio.

Once I finished school, it was obvious to me to move into the big bad world of communication design. It was always my goal. I packed up and moved over to Vancouver to be with my then-girlfriend, now wife, but only managed a couple of months before we realized that long term we wanted to be on the Island (when you’re born and raised here, nothing else compares). From there, I landed a contract at an agency in Victoria, and then another, and so on. It wasn’t until I hit a wall and realized that I wasn’t truly happy working for someone else that I decided to make a change.

I wanted to focus on unique, quality design and digital products that sparked emotion in other people—like it did in me—no matter how long I spent per project. I’d built up a short list of consistent clients from side jobs, so I felt like I could really give it a go. I quit my job, developed a logo, put together a three-page portfolio website, ordered business cards, and called FOE a “creative studio.” My wife was terrified and couldn’t sleep, although she never told me that until two years later. Now we’re nearly seven years in and both of us couldn’t be happier.

 

“Design shapes everything we interact with. It’s a language that carries emotion and if you dig deep and listen, it communicates so much with very little.”

You grew up in Campbell River. How much—if any—did growing up on the Island shape your career as a designer?

It was responsible for 50 per cent of it; the other 50 per cent is a result of worldly experiences and chance. Being born and raised in Campbell River, and becoming involved in its BMX scene, opened up my eyes to certain design trends throughout the ’90s and early 2000s. Looking back now, I realize how much of that stuck with me.

Still, I never got heavily into art and design until my twenties. I dabbled in drawing from a young age because I loved it. In high school, I never knew you could make a living as an artist or designer so I went to school for welding. I ended up welding sculptures in my booth instead of class projects. I completed my welding ticket, but I took my interest in art as a sign that welding wasn’t my calling. That was a critical time in my life; it shaped the direction of my career and led to where I am now. Through design, I found my passion.

 

You were heavily involved in the BMX scene on Vancouver Island as a teenager into your early twenties. How much overlap did pursuing a career in BMX lead you to design?

There was a major overlap. It was one of the main reasons that I took this path. I’ve ridden BMX for most of my life, and professionally rode from age 19 to 25. BMX was heavily influenced by a certain design aesthetic. Trends would hit the [skate/BMX] market years before it went mainstream. I remember in the early 2000s when photoshopped collages were all the rave. Later, you would see collages in marketing material for Coca-Cola, Adidas, World Cup campaigns—but those BMX graphics were collage-focused years before. The visual designs that were a part of that scene sparked a real excitement in me, although I wouldn’t realize until much later.

 

Give us the best trick you ever did on a BMX.

Ha! For street, I’ve done a couple of quadruple and quintuple kinked handrails to ice picking the last down. For park, perhaps double whips…I was more into flow and style as opposed to “triple backflips,” you know?

 

You do everything from branding to web development. How do you make space as an artist to develop your craft?

It’s becoming harder to find the time, but I vowed never to lose sight of that. I block off an hour or two on Fridays to explore different styles and just do what I feel in my gut. A lot of the projects that we work on right now are very illustrative, so it’s easier to fulfill that side of myself. The projects I have been working on lately are the stuff my design dreams are made of.

 

What’s your favourite type of artwork to do?

When it comes to products, I’m loving label designs right now. The process is so organic and I’ve found a solid groove that allows me to trial and error different illustrative styles, depending on the type of client. I always start with paper and pencil, then ink, before I scan my artwork and either rework it in Photoshop or rebuild in Illustrator.

 

How does design shape our daily lives?

That’s a really in-depth question. I can go deeper on this topic, but I believe design shapes everything we interact with. It’s a language that carries emotion and if you dig deep and listen, it communicates so much with very little.

It’s the app that you downloaded for your alarm in the morning; you probably gravitated to it through its attractive UI [user interface], but in the end, you fell in love with its soothing tones. It’s your morning coffee, plucked from the shelf because you loved the packaging’s heavy contrast. It’s right in front of you when you order lunch. If the menu design communicates effectively, it might even just tell you what to eat even if you aren’t listening. It’s everywhere—and it’s my job to evoke that emotion and pique curiosity in people.

 

Where do you find inspiration?

Newsletter subscriptions, a stash of links that I turn to weekly, and conferences whenever I can make the time.

Locally, from an urban perspective—downtown. My wife and I live out in farmland, so when I’m downtown I love walking around, taking in window art, signage types and styles, even mannequins and the way that shops dress them. You never know what you’ll come across that sparks creativity in you. From a nature perspective—our forests, rivers, lakes and ocean. Being somewhere quiet is key to winding down and resetting mentally. I grew up fly fishing as a child, so to spend a day on the river with a notepad in my fly vest is my go-to.

 

Who is someone on the Island you’re inspired by?

I don’t think I can name just one, so here’s a few. Every single one of my clients inspires me. Each of them has their own story for why they do the work that they do. They live it and love it every day, and that really affects me and the work that I do. From a designer perspective, Matt Johnson. He’s the friend that got me interested in the graphic design aspect of this industry, and he’s constantly pushing the envelope.

And lastly, my wife for all of her love and crazy amount of endless support. Without her, I’d probably still be rocking tight black jeans and a Black Dahlia Murder shirt, drinking Budweiser at the skatepark.

 

Any advice for someone pursuing a career as an artist or designer on the Island?

Listen to your gut and design with emotion. Designing based on logic and best practice is important to a degree, but your goal should be to spark emotion and feeling. That is what will create impact and drive your designs forward.

And put yourself out there. Be bold, not reckless. There are never any bad experiences—it’s up to you what you choose to take away from any situation. The ability to reflect on situations, both good and bad, has helped both me and my company grow.

 

You do a lot of work in the craft beer industry. What beer are you enjoying right now?

We do, and it’s awesome! We’re primarily focusing on the craft beer, spirit, wine and cider industry right now. Currently, I’m a huge fan of Mount Arrowsmith’s Beach Side Passion Fruit Witbier, and Vancouver Island Brewing’s Juan De Fuca Cerveza—I keep a keg of the cerveza on tap in my garage 24/7, just in case I get dehydrated. Aside from that, I always keep a bottle of Hoyne Pilsner around.

 

And, if you could be anywhere on the Island enjoying that beer, where would it be? 

My backyard in Central Saanich, sipping a beer with my wife on a hot day, while our crazy girls play on the bouncy castle.