This was submitted to The Real Show 26 and won SILVER Award for the Packaging category (under "Jessie Le").
I designed a system of 3 varieties of beer can labels and a six-pack container for DC BRAU.
DC BRAU is a Washington, DC–based artisan brewery rooted in the city’s independent spirit and unapologetic attitude. The challenge posed by The Real Show 26 was to create a bold packaging system that captures DC pride without relying on predictable monument imagery. Instead, they seek for design that draws from the city’s neighborhoods, local culture, political tension, nightlife, and raw urban energy to create a shelf-ready identity with a distinctly local voice.
In response to this challenge, I created a series of illustrations representing the personality of each beer flavor:
The Corruption — India Pale Ale: boots, a guard horse, and a cracked crown
The Public — Pale Ale: the Metro, the bicycle, and cherry blossoms
The Citizen — Belgian-style Ale: the half-smoke, Mumbo sauce, and raised fists
Combined with the DMV Metro map as the central graphic element, the system follows a vibrant, geometric, street art–inspired aesthetic. This visual direction is my answer for Washington, DC’s culture and identity.
