This project was presented as an open-ended beer packaging design task. To refine this assignment to something more practically applicable, I prepared a brief for a dark, bitter beer which which targeted urban men and women between the ages of 19 and 30 with disposable income and an affinity for alternative aesthetics and craft beverages.

Dr. Vulture’s Organ Tonic incorporates imagery that appeals to the target market’s taste for the macabre with classical medical illustration. The dark aesthetic also complements the dark and bitter flavour of the product, both with wordplay and with the conceptual interplay between the idea of a medical tonic and the effects of alcohol on the body.

The inspiration was drawn from Victorian-era bottles and the often dubious claims of health benefits that they offered. When contextualized as beer branding, this concept becomes a cheeky nod to the “therapeutic” nature of a relaxing evening with a strong beer after a hard day of work.