Great Divide’s Denver Pale Ale Artist Series Features Adam Vicarel

By The Denver Egotist / July 6, 2020 /

For its fifth annual Denver Pale Ale artist series, Great Divide partnered with Adam Vicarel for the can’s design. Porch Drinking did an interview with Adam and the brewery’s marketing manager Matt Sandy. A few of the highlights are below.  

“In establishing the creative direction for this can design, I wanted to capture the juxtaposition of Denver’s founding years against modern-day Denver.

Founded in 1858, Denver’s early years fell in the middle of the Victorian Era. This time period was characterized by elaborate and embellished typography, and ultimately those characteristics were the catalyst for the majority of the typography and lettering on this can.

In contrast, to capture modern-day Denver I took a more casual approach to illustrating classic “Denver stuff,” such as mountains, the skyline, trees and camping gear. The monoline illustration style is intentionally quirky, and the density of these elements helps balance out the ornate and information-heavy designs on the front and sides of the can.

The bright color palette was intended to evoke the feelings of summer —bright and happy. This not only helps these cans stand out on shelf, but these colors look like an enticing, refreshing choice when in a cooler amidst some of its competitors.”