Goose Island is a Chicago-based brewery that opened its doors in 1988. They approached the Plato creative team in the fall of 2020 with the desire to launch a new lemonade shandy as part of their iconic line of 312 beers. The shandy was to be inspired by lemonade Italian ices—a quintessential summertime Chicago treat. I was tasked with developing the primary and secondary packaging for the product, along with a design system that could support the addition of more flavors in the future. The final packaging draws type and graphic inspiration from iconic Chicago landmarks like Mario’s Italian lemonade and Johnnie’s Beef. The entire design was given a hand painted texture to capture the nostalgia of these local eateries and the brewery’s urban heritage.
The Goose Island Barrel House is situated in Chicago’s West Side and dedicated to the pursuit of the finest barrel-aged beers in world. In 2020, they kicked off an innovation initiative to produce a series of ready-made canned cocktails that could sit alongside their renowned Bourbon County Brand Stout. The packaging concept I proposed drew inspiration from the architecture of Chicago, with specific references to the DuSable Bridge, Two Prudential Plaza, Marina Towers, and Buckingham Fountain. I combined these elements with timeless fonts, wood grain textures, and gilding to harken back to the opulence of Chicago’s Deco era.