Packaging · Illustration
Chapman Craft Beer — Zodiac Series
A 12-label limited-edition beer series for Chapman Crafted Beer, a micro brewery in Orange, California — built around custom celestial illustrations, metallic foil printing, and a design system flexible enough to evolve year-over-year.
Zodiac Series: Aries — Hazy IPA with the cosmic gradient wheel and constellation linework on metallic silver foil.
The Challenge
Standing Out in a Crowded Craft Market
Chapman Crafted Beer wanted to launch a limited-edition Zodiac Series featuring all twelve zodiac signs. The project needed to stand out in a crowded craft beer market while remaining cost-effective for a small brewery's budget and production capabilities. The design had to work as a cohesive 12-piece series — each label unique enough to feel collectible, but unified enough to read as one family on the shelf.
Design Problem
How do you create 12 distinct labels that feel collectible and premium — on a micro brewery budget? The solution needed to balance custom illustration, print production constraints, and a system that could scale across every zodiac sign without ballooning costs.
Label Design
Celestial Illustrations on Metallic Foil
I designed a cohesive 12-label series featuring custom celestial illustrations for each zodiac sign. The design centered on a cosmic gradient wheel displaying all twelve symbols, with the featured sign highlighted at the center and its constellation illustrated below in geometric linework. Metallic silver foil substrate created a shimmering starfield effect across the deep space background — achieving a premium look while keeping costs manageable through a single foil treatment rather than multiple specialty finishes.
Full label flat — the Aries release showing the zodiac wheel, constellation linework, redesigned PourStats table, and brewery branding.
In Production
From Design to Tap Room
The metallic foil substrate gave each label a depth that shifts with the light — the starfield effect is subtle on the shelf but catches the eye in-hand. I attended the press check at Resource Label Group to approve color accuracy and foil registration on-press, ensuring the final printed labels matched the design intent across every sign in the series.
Left: Aries in-hand — front and back label detail. Right: Gemini 6-pack with branded glassware.
Leo release — the design system at work across a different sign, same cohesive series identity.
System Design
PourStats™ Table Redesign
Beyond the label illustration, I redesigned the PourStats table — Chapman's proprietary beer stats panel — to align with the astrological theme. The updated format established a new standard that carried across all Chapman Crafted labels going forward, not just the Zodiac Series.
Before and after — the PourStats redesign became the new standard format for all Chapman Crafted labels.
Impact
From Limited Edition to Collectible Phenomenon
The Zodiac Series increased sales and positioned Chapman Crafted as an innovative brewery in the local market. Customer demand turned the series into a collectible phenomenon that expanded beyond beer into merchandise — shirts, coasters, glassware, and more. The series has evolved year-over-year, with each new release generating anticipation and driving repeat purchases.
The Zodiac Series expanded into merchandise — t-shirts featuring the cosmic wheel and branded coasters for the tap room.
Credits
Photography: Chapman Crafted Beer · Printing: Resource Label Group · Agency: Sonnyside Up · Kenley Tiesmeyer, Art Director