Working on a Design Team – Building A Brand, Ep. 3

Summary of the video

The episode shows a branding/design team walkthrough of the early phases of a rebrand for Hamiltonfamily Brewery. After a brand strategy/discovery session, the team builds a creative brief that translates client and user insights into design parameters (brand attributes and look/feel directions).

Designers then conduct competitive and reference research (especially historical beer/packaging examples). They map inspirations to two user profiles: a “soccer mom” regular and a beer “snob/enthusiast” aspirational user. From there, the team refines concepts through team critique.

The episode ends with the plan to develop style scapes—refined mood boards/panoramas that consolidate multiple references into a cohesive visual direction.

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Artistic techniques, concepts, or creative processes shown

• Brand strategy → creative brief translation

  • Turning “words to describe images” (the client’s mental vision) into clear design constraints for a multi-person design team.

• User-profile-driven design

  • Designing to appeal to two audiences simultaneously:
    • A family-friendly regular (“Jessica”)
    • An aspirational enthusiast/collector (“Kurt”)

• Look & feel development using brand attributes

  • Drafting target qualities like reliability, welcoming warmth, maker culture/DIY, charming wit, adventurous experimentation, plus the addition of heritage.

• Historical packaging research

  • Gathering references from different eras (50s/60s/70s) and evaluating how “heritage vs retro” should be interpreted.

• Reference curation + critique

  • Designers present visual research folders; the team iterates based on fit, tone, and risk, for example:
    • avoiding “overly masculine”
    • avoiding “too premium”
    • avoiding “too dated”
    • avoiding the “wrong kind of retro”

• Tactile/production considerations

  • Discussing how materials/finishes might affect the final product feel and production feasibility, such as:
    • matte/cold-press paper texture
    • printing concerns when the can becomes cold/sweaty

• Packaging system thinking beyond a single label

  • Considering not just labels, but carriers, wraps, and photogenic display elements—including a “beer carrier” concept meant to be replicable, DIY-y yet special.

• Style scapes

  • Creating a consolidated “panorama” style board that combines color, typography, imagery, and textures to generate a unified brand direction for final design exploration.

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Steps and workflow mentioned (clearly presented)

1. Discovery/strategy session → creative brief

   • Hold an internal meeting to:
     • surface discovery insights (goals, challenges, user importance)
     • define brand attributes
     • set clear creative parameters and assignments for designers

2. Initial research before designing

   • Research competitors and gather a large reference library.
   • Read through brief documentation and user profiles.
   • Look for relevant contemporaneous references and historical beer-label inspirations.

3. Designers reconcile directions

   • Reconvene with teammates and present:
     • inspiration findings from different eras/styles
     • how those references map to the “look and feel” attributes
   • Tighten/select direction using critique, including:
     • organizing into “style scape format”
     • bridging ornate heritage with modern pops of color
     • keeping DIY feel without excess

4. Develop style scapes and approval loop

   • Designers create style scapes in future episodes.
   • Designers present for approval.
   • Later, leadership travels to present final versions to the clients.

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Creators / contributors featured (as named in the subtitles)

• Blind (studio/agency) — brand strategy designed consultancy (Santa Monica, CA)
• Chun min Chao
• Emily Che
• Matthew
• Ben
• Men (primary designer/customer-profile focus)
• Josh
• Kristen
• Sam

Josh’s/clients’ spoken figures:

• Jessica (user profile)
• Kurt (user profile; aspirational persona)