This post is somewhere between a thank you note, a love letter and a blog post from me, Darcey Lacy, Founder and Creative Director of Watermark Design. I have been blessed with the opportunity to start a passion project and to grow it into an award-winning design studio & business over the last 10 years. I was just going to say thank you, thank you SO much, but I thought it would be more valuable to you to share a few things I have learned along the way as well.

A successful package begins with a great partnership. You know your business, your product, and you have a vision. Finding a design partner to produce your package who:

• is experienced in your market
• listens and understands your vision
• has the expertise to bring your package to fruition
• will coach you on the pitfalls and is willing provide constructive criticism

can be the moment that makes or breaks your package.

We’ve all heard it before, a brewery releases a beer into the market and is slapped in the face with a cease and desist from another company for either their imagery or name. You ran your USPTO search and didn’t throw a dart at a hop pun, so what gives?

Beer isn’t safe within its own walls — the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claims all alcohol under the same blanket beverage terms,

Canned wine sales have more than doubled in the past year, growing 125.2 percent, according to new Nielsen data (July 2016), especially in table wine (as sparkling in a can was already on the rise).

With brands like Underwood, Francis Ford Coppola, Fiction and Alloy leading the charge, wine in a can is now trendy. A great option for BBQs, Pool Parties, Camping and Outdoor concerts, where glass is not allowed or is not convenient.

As we reach the halfway point in the year, we’ve noticed several trends in upcoming breweries and packaging that have been launched in the beer market. Ranging from clean and geometric to a humanist touch with individually drawn lines, all these packages are gaining award-winning traction in design and beer forums.

SIMPLE SWISS :

The Jane, Duvel (Toykyo, Jimmy Lee, SH19), Fort Point Beer Company (Manual),