Recently I graduated college and have been adjusting to the real world of freelance graphic design. I've been fortunate enough to get a couple clients right out of the gate, slowly building my network. Although I'm technically a professional now, I still can't help looking fondly back at my college days and the past projects I've worked on.
In one of my classes, "Experimental Packaging" we were asked to take an existing product and create new packaging for it. Our teacher always encouraged us to get as ambitious as possible with our ideas. I mean-it's Experimental Packaging-not just you're everyday box or bottle, right?
Being a huge fan of Woodchuck Hard Cider, I decided that was the product I would choose... But instead of their bottles, I decided to design packaging for their kegs. Not just packaging, but functional packaging. A limited edition kegerator, is what I'm getting at!
I instantly thought of their iconic woodchuck mascot (also referred to as a groundhog or whistle pig, hehe) and branched off my idea from there. Speaking of branches, the body of the kegerator literally looks like a tree stump! To dispense the liquid gold, all you need to do is pull the woodchuck's tail, which doubles as the tap handle.
Just for giggles, I decided to send this idea to them. Quite honestly, I wasn't expecting any sort of response. Low and behold, two days later I get an e-mail. From Woody Woodchuck. (Somehow I think that's a fake name... But who cares?!)
Hello Lisa,
This is pretty awesome! We will pass your designs along to the right people. We would be happy to send you some Woodchuck gear for your hard work, can we ship it to the address below? Also, we hope you got an A on this project!
Cheers!
Woody
Hearing this made my day. It felt really awesome to get recognition and great feedback like that from a company I admire so much.
About a week later, I received the following items in the mail:
Who knows... Maybe my kegerator will be a real product some day?
Either way, I'll be a Woodchuck customer for life.
HUZZAH! Welcome back to the blogsphere! That is freaking AWESOmE! I love woodchuck and now I love them even more. Have you had the hard pear cider? Its different and I love it. Classic apple is still my fav. I would totally buy this keg! I think they should totally put it into production!
ReplyDeleteI've tried a lot of their flavors! My favorite is their 802. A little darker and less sweet than the Amber. Thanks, Alyx!
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