BRINK is a creative digital agency pushing boundaries in web, mobile, social, video, and even indie film.
This is our blog. A place to cheer the successes and lament the failures. To give wisdom and share experiences. Sometimes it's business, sometimes it's pleasure, but it's always through the eyes of an agency living on the BRINK.
Enjoy!

I gave you BRINK’s pick of the most enticing beer bottles last week, so this week I thought I’d share an enviable bottle of whiskey, via Cool Hunting. Monkey Shoulder is a three malt blend, an unprecedented feat, and the results are just right. We know Glenfiddich, Belvenie and Kininvie are inside there, but only the “malt master” knows how long all three hang out in bourbon casks until they are just ripe. Anyway, the bottle is suave and classic but with just a bit of whimsy, thanks to the three little monkeys perched at the top. Whiskey makes me aggro, but if you are a burgeoning (or straight-up) aficionado check out a more comprehensive list of the best bottles. 

Since we’ve almost made it to the weekend, I thought I’d mix our weekly design inspiration with some cool brews.

Södra Maltfabriken is Stockholm’s first micro-brewery, and they have their design aesthetic down. Their packaging is super sharp with great colors and a cool mix of typography. According to Cool Hunting, the liquid inside is as tasty as the bottle is well-designed.

Below is a more local hero out of Texas, Austin Beerworks. According to their website (which looks great), they are “hell bent on excellence.” And we definitely think they’ve achieved it. Their logo, can and beverage are all a cut above.  And we weren’t the first to peg Helms Workshop (the firm behind Austin Beerworks’ look) as a quality design firm, Design Envy featured them recently. Their design is much bolder than the Södra Maltfabriken bottles above, but it is precisely executed.

If you need some more beer inspired advertising to get your Friday night going, the more mainstream brewer Shock Top’s new ad features a suave spokesman making his way around a post-apocalyptic Earth in a clean suit. What does he say about the end of the world as we know it? “You don’t care. You’re out there doing all the things you always wanted to do.” And apparently one of those things you want to do is drink a Shock Top. 

Whatever your beer of choice, enjoy it this weekend. And if you care about design, like we do, hopefully it’ll be dressed in something nice too. 

While Kraft recently unveiled a second line of “slower-growing brands” in addition to their “faster-growing enterprises” (such as snack brands), they are also looking towards new analytics that may help both business venture find success.  According to a new article from Brand Channel, Kraft is trying to secret behind the “’emotional design’ of products, packaging, positioning and brands.”  In other words, what gets a consumer to “like” their product, as opposed to “preferring” it over other brands/competitors.   Research like this, if successful, could open up a whole new sector of marketing.  Kraft’s findings will revolutionize the way brands look at marketing a product to a consumer, as they focus on these so-called “emotional triggers.”  It’ll be very interesting to see what they find.

While Kraft recently unveiled a second line of “slower-growing brands” in addition to their “faster-growing enterprises” (such as snack brands), they are also looking towards new analytics that may help both business venture find success.  According to a new article from Brand Channel, Kraft is trying to secret behind the “’emotional design’ of products, packaging, positioning and brands.”  In other words, what gets a consumer to “like” their product, as opposed to “preferring” it over other brands/competitors.  

Research like this, if successful, could open up a whole new sector of marketing.  Kraft’s findings will revolutionize the way brands look at marketing a product to a consumer, as they focus on these so-called “emotional triggers.”  It’ll be very interesting to see what they find.