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Brandmark | Label Design
2025
Project Overview
JP-8 is a brand identity and label design developed as a client-based project for Identity & Systems Design in partnership with MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality and Brewing Program. The project centered on a special-release Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout created in connection with the announcement of the Chris Thibodeau Memorial Veterans Brewing Endowment.
As a class project, the design was developed around a specific commemorative release rather than a beer intended for ongoing retail production. The challenge was to create an identity that could honor Chris’s military service while also representing his connection to MSU Denver, student veterans, and the broader community. The resulting brandmark and label combine military references with symbolic imagery to bring these aspects of his legacy together within a cohesive visual identity.
System
Process
Outcomes
The project resulted in a complete visual identity and physical packaging for the JP-8 special release, including the brandmark, bottle label, six-pack packaging, and brand standards guide. The label incorporates symbolic imagery representing different aspects of Chris’s military service, legacy, and connection to the MSU Denver and Denver communities, while the packaging extends those relationships into a cohesive physical experience.
The finished labels and packaging were physically produced for the special release, giving the identity a real-world application beyond the classroom. The project demonstrates how a focused visual system can balance commemorative meaning, product communication, and practical production requirements within a specific event and audience.