Pabst Blue Ribbon Can Art Competition

For our first blog post of 2021 I think it is only fitting that I talk about the first project we completed this year. The unfortunate truth is that we discovered this opportunity to build labels for Pabst Blue Ribbon Beer at the last minute. However, since we love working on craft beer label design, we thought it was a perfect fit and that I should take a stab.

The end result is three can concepts - only the first (far left) of which was submitted due to contest rules - but we are really proud of all of them. On the far right, I began with a super abstract and distorted idea of the Pabst Blue Ribbon itself. Flipping aspects of the color palette and even utilizing the silver of the can where I could for a dynamic, maximalist can design. Next, in the middle, I have the can truest to my personal style - with photographic and typographic elements center stage. The end result is a badass, poster-style rework of Pabst iconography - my favorite of the bunch. For our final can - my submission for this competition - was an attempt to flex my artist/illustrator muscles, rather than with the previous two which feel closer to graphic design (and this is an artist competition). The concept is a spin on the Pabst slogan "Grab A Pabst," while encapsulating all of the debaucherous fun of having a Pabst with friends (something we all need a little extra of right now ). The tangle of arms make for a great focal point and with the words behind highlighted using the silver from the can, I think it's a really fun one !

While I wish we had more time to really flesh out some of these ideas, I was most satisfied with the utilization of color, composition and the can itself - something I think others may have overlooked as a major opportunity in this competition. Regardless of if we place, this was beyond fun to make and I hope to contribute again next year !