• Big Rock Brewery’s redesign by Helms Workshop replaces craft beer clutter with a clean, easy-to-shop can system
• Oversized typography, single color fields, and woodcut style illustrations improve shelf recognition across the lineup
• Subtle humor and regional cues add personality without relying on tired craft beer tropes

Sometimes the smartest redesign is simply the one that remembers why people liked the brand in the first place. Big Rock Brewery’s packaging refresh, designed by Helms Workshop, clears out the usual craft beer clichés and lets the visuals do the talking.

The typography is straightforward and unpretentious, with just enough structure in the supporting type to keep everything uncluttered. It skips the predictable stuff like faux parchment, hop grenades, and badge overload. Instead, each beer has a single saturated color field and a crisp woodcut-style illustration. The humor is subtle too, like a grasshopper that looks weirdly heroic or a rooster caught mid-strut. Humor doesn’t have to be obvious and cliches don’t always make for smart design.

Case Study:

Big Rock’s namesake isn’t just a geological wonder—it’s a monument to who they are. Immovable. Timeless. Impossible to ignore. We helped return the brewery to what made it remarkable in the first place: provocative packaging, rare ingredients, and the audacity to be different. And plenty of Calgary swagger.

The new cans and brand are designed to make you stop, stare, and sip. Gone are the craft beer cliches and “me too” packaging. They’re replaced by bold colors, rugged, expressive illustrations, and typography that demands attention.

We trusted that Big Rock’s audience was smart enough to appreciate wit, whimsy, and a little irreverence. We trust they don’t need their hand held. We trust they can handle beer with a backbone and a sense of humor. And Calgary felt that.

In the quarters following our brand relaunch, Big Rock’s sales rose a staggering 47%—a stat that we are terrifically proud of. Now that’s an anomaly.