Hop Seeker
IPA Series
Creative Direction, Branding, Packaging, Social, Animation
Building a fun and versatile world of characters and stickers for a rotating India Pale Ale series.
Illustration by Arthur James
2021-2022
Hop Seeker is Deep Ellum Brewing's rotating India Pale Ale series, with each release featuring unique and rare hops from different regions of the world. The challenge was to develop a brand that stays consistent, yet noticeably different after each release without growing stale and to avoid consumer confusion.
We developed a whimsical character with a beard made of hops who is obsessed with seeking out the world's newest and rarest hops. Since this brand has existed in the past, we also refreshed the logotype and brightened up the color palette to make the packaging feel more fun, friendly, and fresh.
To support the main character, we designed a modular system of travel stickers inspired by vintage travel luggage. The stickers reference the locations to which the Hop Seeker traveled to source hops for the latest release, as well as the flavor notes, alcohol, and bitterness level of the beer itself.