Collaboration projects are my absolute favorite. Gathering a room of minds and crafting something awesome that merges such a variety of ideas really gets me going. Denise Bronner aka KinkySudz reached out to me to help her hammer home the art for her black cherry limoncello ale brewed by Oak Park Brewing Co. She had a general aesthetic she was going for and over a few video calls we tinkered and tweaked until we came away with something that embodied her brand AND the recipe together.
Scarlet was more than a limited release; it was a collaboration that carried cultural weight and creative energy. Developed with Oak Park Brewing and Denise Bronner of Kinky Sudz, a craft beer influencer whose platform champions inclusivity and representation in beer, Scarlet brought a fresh perspective to a space that has historically lacked diverse voices. The beer itself was brewed by Rodg Little, a Black brewer at Oak Park, making the project authentic from top to bottom and deeply meaningful to those who worked on it.
The design drew inspiration from the bold visual language of the Blaxploitation film era: dramatic typography, saturated reds and golds, and poster-like composition that gave Scarlet the presence of a leading character. The label was built to feel cinematic and iconic, paying homage to a powerful cultural moment in film history while reframing it through the lens of modern craft beer. The result was unapologetic, celebratory, and impossible to ignore — a piece of design that spoke as loudly as the beer tasted.
Scarlet launched online and sold out on the first day, proof of the excitement and support generated by the collaboration. But its true impact went further: Scarlet became a symbol of what happens when craft beer creates space for women, people of color, and Black talent to lead.