Creative Can Beauty for the Eye of the Beer-holder

There is an artistic beauty to the craft of producing beer, and it's not only found in the beverage's many degrees of malty hues. According to the Brewers Association, a national nonprofit dedicated to promoting and protecting American craft brewers, the retail dollar sales of craft beer were up to $28.8 billion in 2024, accounting for nearly a quarter of the $117 billion U.S. market. As the craft beer industry continues to attract its share of discerning drinkers, the competition also grows amongst brewers looking to woo consumers. One way a brewery can stand out on the cooler shelves of a crowded industry is through an enticing beer label that catches the eye of shoppers. Often, these labels seek to creatively communicate the ingredients, flavors or inspiration behind the beer inside. Gilsum resident Danya Pugliese, a freelance illustrator and graphic designer, was approached by Oliver Levick, owner of Granite Roots Brewing in Troy, a craft brewery that is currently taking a hiatus to reassess location needs, for their Czech Lager 12° beer cans. Levick wanted the label's design to pay homage to the town of Troy's recent acquisition of a vintage steam train, Pugliese said, and he jumpstarted her with a few specific element requests: the train, the Troy train depot and a psychedelic color palette. Her design drew inspiration from the 1960s and The Beatles' iconic "Yellow Submarine" film and won a 2025 Packaging Design Award from Graphic Design USA. It took 20 hours to complete and features a backdrop of Mount Monadnock. "It came out really nice," Pugliese said of the final label, adding that it was printed on an attractive metallic material. Beer labels are also required by law to include certain elements, such as where the beer is produced, its alcohol content, a government health warning and a bar code. Her career path to beer labels and product packaging has been a "crazy road," Pugliese said. After a restaurant she co-owned closed last year, she decided to further pursue her love of digital marketing. With a prior bachelor's degree in sculpture, she had also finished her master's degree in media design around the same time. Through a position with a marketing agency, she had realized that it was the creative end of marketing design that was her true passion. Her skill in illustrating adds an additional level of expertise to her design business offerings. "It's easier on my end because I can just draw (what I need) for a design," she explained of the difference that doesn't limit her to pre-existing graphic elements. The commission from Granite Roots and subsequent award further solidified her decision. "I didn't realize it would be so pivotal to my career," she recalled. "Packaging is something I'm specifically interested in." While she's yet to design any more beer labels, she is open and enthusiastic about the possibility of working with more craft breweries. "The creativity is so fun," she said of illustrating these types of packaging. "Every time I draw, I get better, and it's cool to see the progression." She's quick to add that she sees packaging design for what it is: a tool to an end or to solve a problem. In the end, the goal is to create a beer can that will draw consumer attention on the shelves and outsell the competition while incorporating the client's vision. "It was fun to do and it's a cool genre of label," she remarked of the craft beer industry's willingness to really push the envelope with their cans. "The current trends are more playful in marketing in general, and craft beer labels have even more creativity and storytelling artwork." For more information, to view Pugliese's designs, or to contact her about a commission, visit danyadesigns.com.