Established in 1913 by German immigrants and then soon shut down by prohibition, Mission Brewery was resurrected in 2007 by a local home brewer at the forefront of the the Craft Beer Boom.
San Diego beer is no joke either, so the juice had to be good to stand up the competition. And so did the brand. It would be easy to make a brand focusing on the fact that it was born in 1913, but that felt misleading, as it sat dormant for over 90 years. Plus, Mission wanted an aesthetic that would associate them with the vibrant, local community around them.
CODO Design’s task was to lift Mission out of the old world and into the new, evoking the color and energy of the San Diego scene as it is today while sprinkling in just enough of that charming vintage aesthetic to let you know that this brand has been around for a while.
Rebranding and packaging project done at CODO Design.
Featured on:
Under Consideration
BrewBound
Craft Brewing Business
San Diego Beer News
The Dennis Axe Restoration Collection (otherwise known as D.A.R.C.) is a collection of restored axes, done by yours truly. This is a passion fueled by the desire to connect with past relatives who enjoyed the slower way of life. They chopped their own wood to to keep their stoves lit and in turn, their houses warm.
I created all the branding and graphics to accompany this gritty lifestyle. You can check out more of the actual restoration side of this ongoing project by visiting dennisaxe.com.
Photography was done by myself and Daniel Woody.
Outlaw Ventures backs the rebels, radicals, and revolutionaries building the better food system of tomorrow. As a means of investing into a niche community of those, quite literally, going against the grain, this brand had to look the part.
“Exploration through fermentation.” Lost Nomad will debut using a direct-to-consumer model featuring global variations of mainstay craft styles. The brewery will offer horizontal tastings to show customers how beer changes with varied ingredients and cultural influences. Example: you order a flight of lagers, and receive a Munich Helles, a Japanese Rice Lager and a Mexican Lager. The name “Lost Nomad” captures the romance and perspective of constant relocation and the fun exploration of beer styles across the world.
The challenge here was to create a brand based upon world exploration without being cliche. No need for mountain hikers or van nomads, although those do fit into the target audience. Enter the soaring bird, an animal constantly relocating to warm weather throughout the year, paired with the northern star, an infamous symbol of primitive navigation. Complete with a set of graphics with compass needles, globes, and a horizon hidden in the word mark.
Work was completed at CODO Design with Ryan Pickard.
Featured on Craft Brewing Business
Conner Prairie, a Smithsonian Affiliate, is a historic land and museum providing outdoor, hands-on experiences to their guests. They needed a refreshed brand system to reflect their explorer archetype and highlight the many aspects of the organization. This spurred the variable logos, so they can properly convey what the grounds have to offer. This project was done at Willow Marketing.
A Midwest photographer, Daniel Woody specializes in landscape photography. Although Indy is his home, he travels all over to get the photo he desires, traveling almost every weekend of the year to see new places and explore different cities and parks. His perspective is unique and intricate, and almost always get reposted by other accounts on Instagram.
A membership-based car storage facility located just down the street from the Indianapolis circle, SILO serves all who glorify classic vehicles. This concierge garage not only stores your ride and serves you a cocktail, they also perform routine battery-checks and prep your vehicle before you get there. SILO is truly a unique gem of Indianapolis, and the branding had to reflect that, along with exuding strength, authority, security, and superiority.
I oversaw this project from concept to the grand opening. This included branding, photography, creating newspaper ads, and even working closely with the exterior sign makers and art directing the final installment on the building.
This work was done at Willow Marketing. Videos made by Invention Pictures, Inc.
Truly a custom cake shop, San Diego Cake Company is a unique take on the cake bakery. Using the spirit of the owner’s direction to “get weird with it,” I created Dulce Diego, the mascot. He’s a mischievous little creature who likes to get into trouble, smoke that California smoke, and chill out with his west coast stereotype pals.
For the past handful of years, I have participated in the Bigger Picture Show, an event celebrating the relationship between cinema and the Indianapolis design community. BPS showcases Indy’s best designers, with a one-of-a-kind evening featuring a binge-worthy gallery of 90+ re-imagined movie posters.
I have contributed four, The Fast and The Furious, True Grit, a merge between Dr. No and No Country For Old Men, a.k.a. Dr. No Country For Old Men, and Con-Air.
The Indy 500 is a big day in May for Indianapolis. It’s what most of the world knows us for. And to have a race day party grill out that has been a family tradition for 50+ years is quite something to tout about as well. I have had the honor of designing multiple years of invitations for the family tradition and there’s no plan to stop.
Here are some various logos from over the past couple years that I have created. Most have been used, some have gotten the axe.
