Matt Romo | Identity Designer & Art Director for Modern Brands
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Wolf Creek Brewery

Label design system for Wolf Creek Brewery. A bold, Wild West aesthetic revitalizes this craft beer brand with modern energy and shelf appeal.

Wolf Creek Brewery logo overlaid on a cinematic image of a cowboy leading a horse through rugged mountain terrain at dusk.

Wolf Creek Brewery // Craft Beer Packaging Redesign

Reviving a Classic

Designing a Label System That Honors Tradition While Competing in a Modern Market

Collaboration with La Visual, Inc.

 

BRAND FOUNDATION

Wolf Creek Brewery (WCB), one of the early pioneers in Southern California’s craft beer scene, faced a common challenge: their beer was beloved by regulars, but the brand wasn’t standing out on store shelves. Despite deep roots in the local community and a reputation for quality, the packaging system lacked visual consistency and stopping power in a highly competitive category.

The team approached us to refresh their identity through packaging—without losing the legacy that longtime fans recognized. Our goal was to develop a visual language that could connect across generations of beer drinkers, while making WCB more shelf-ready for broader retail opportunities.

VISUAL SYSTEM

We built the identity around a narrative-driven concept called The Wild West, referencing WCB’s pioneering spirit, familial heritage, and authentic regional roots. Each label featured a hero figure—animal or human—illustrated in high fidelity and paired with distinct brew names. These figures interacted with their environments, creating a sense of movement and character across the lineup.

To elevate shelf appeal, we introduced a bold color system that used vibrant accents without straying from the brand’s rustic soul. Typography was kept clean and legible to aid product clarity, while the label architecture allowed flexibility for seasonal or limited-run brews.

BUSINESS IMPACT

Following the rebrand, WCB expanded visibility in major retailers across Southern California, including wider placements in Whole Foods and craft beer specialty shops. The new labels generated attention in the craft community and earned positive feedback on design blogs and review platforms for their standout illustrations and collectibility.

The refreshed packaging helped reintroduce the brand to a younger demographic and boosted shelf recognition during a time when the regional beer market was becoming saturated with new entrants. The identity gave Wolf Creek a flexible, recognizable system that worked across flagship offerings and one-off batches—supporting both consistency and creative growth.

Pencil sketches of four Wolf Creek Brewery beer label concepts featuring a cowboy, eagle, wolf, and gunslinger, each with bold names and beer types.
Desperado IPA bottle label by Wolf Creek Brewery featuring a bold illustrated cowboy in teal and black with detailed label typography and flavor description.
Golden Eagle Blonde beer label design by Wolf Creek Brewery featuring a soaring eagle illustration over a bright yellow background with bold black framing and product story.
Midnight Howl Black Ale beer label from Wolf Creek Brewery featuring a prowling wolf under a full moon with dark forest background and bold typography.
Howlin’ Hefe Hefeweizen beer label from Wolf Creek Brewery featuring a mustached cowboy with a revolver, illustrated in a bold western comic style.
Full lineup of Wolf Creek Brewery beer bottles featuring illustrated labels for Howlin’ Hefe, Desperado IPA, Golden Eagle Blonde, and Midnight Howl Black Ale.
Hand-drawn concept sketches for Wolf Creek Brewery seasonal beer labels, including Winter Wonderland Winter Ale, Valencia White IPA, and Pumpkin Weizen Bavarian Hefeweizen.
Winter Wonderland beer label design for Wolf Creek Brewery, featuring a rugged frontiersman wrapped in furs, holding a musket, with mountains in the background. Label includes tasting notes and branding in white, icy blue, and black tones.
Pumpkin Weizen beer label for Wolf Creek Brewery, featuring a headless horseman wielding a flaming jack-o'-lantern while riding a rearing horse at dusk. The label uses bold oranges, purples, and blacks to evoke an autumnal, spooky feel.
Valencia Honey Wheat beer label for Wolf Creek Brewery, featuring crossed tools, golden scales, and wheat imagery over a radiant sky-blue background. The design references the year 1842 and themes of agriculture and gold discovery.
Three seasonal beer bottles from Wolf Creek Brewery displayed outdoors in winter, featuring detailed illustrated labels: Winter Wonderland (Winter Ale), Pumpkin Weizen (Hefeweizen), and Valencia Honey Wheat (White IPA).