Behind the Label - Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale
Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the branding at Starr Hill Brewery with our Marketing & Creative Manager, BJ Swing. This is the second post of a weekly series spotlighting the inspiration and process behind our designs. Our last post featured Ramble On Juice IPA. If you like what you see, we have released some of our most popular labels as prints on heavy-weight, uncoated poster paper. Every sale supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and Starr Hill will match the funds raised. More info below. Be sure to join our newsletter and follow us on social to stay up-to-date with these posts.
BJ Swing, Marketing & Creative Manager
Thursday, September 21, 2023
The design for Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale might have been one of the fastest, fully illustrated labels I’ve ever created. I had such a clear vision in my mind of the final artwork, all inspired by a backyard observation from my wife, Stephanie - who deserves all the credit.
When my wife and I bought our house, everything was terribly overgrown, especially this one corner with a natural area in the backyard. My wife and I have been gradually reclaiming this corner each season, but it hasn’t been a top priority. In the summer of 2021, a large pine tree fell and damaged a small section of the neighboring farm fence. As a result, we soon learned another one was likely to fall as well. The woodcutting crew left the stump from the second tree and crushed most of the overgrowth from the surrounding foliage managing both trees.
Late one night, my wife was looking out the window and caught a red fox perched on top of the fresh stump. We had noticed that the makeshift fencing we installed did allow for some new animal traffic. When my wife told me about this encounter, I could vividly envision a regal fox with its fiery orange fur in stark contrast to our mangled thicket with its now browning, trampled branches in the changing of the season.
The Last Leaf fox depicted in the label resides deep within the brush, where all the leaves are falling as winter approaches. Complementing the fox's vibrant color is a solitary maple leaf – the last leaf of the fall season and a nod to the original Last Leaf Maple Brown Ale label.
I was able to capture my design process from start to finish with a screen recording. While it's about five minutes long, it represents approximately three to four hours of work.
I’ve been asked but the fox doesn’t have a name. I’d like to hear your ideas though! Comment your Foxy name on our Facebook or Instagram posts.
If you are interested in a print of the Last Leaf artwork, they are available in the brewery’s online shop. Your purchase supports the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. If you would like to learn more or donate to my campaign directly, you can visit https://finest.cff.org/Charlottesville/bjswing.
Have a question or want to drop me a note? You can contact me here.
Cheers!
The sales from this event will be donated directly to the CF Foundation, whose mission is to cure Cystic Fibrosis and provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead long fulfilling lives. Funds go directly to support research and drug development. Starr Hill Brewery will also match these proceeds up to $1,500 during this fundraising period.
This fundraiser will end on or before 12/31/2023. This fundraiser is not sponsored or administered by CF Foundation. All rights reserved.
