Media Contact: Heather West, (612) 724-8760, heatherwest@earthlink.net

Success Story: Compass Design Creates A Distinctive Packaging Design for the Distinctive Beers of August Schell Brewing Co.

Minneapolis (October 5, 1999) -- Compass Design of Minneapolis was challenged by the August Schell Brewing Co. to create packaging systems for the brewery's new bottled products -- Fire Brick Lager and Zommerfest Ale -- the brewery's first new products in three years. From the bottles' caps and labels to their carrying cases, this team of designers captured the heritage and craftsmanship of Schell's 140 years of beer making in Minnesota.

"With 14 existing Schell beer products, we needed to address the common problem of introducing new products to the loyal consumers, while enticing new consumers who may not even know the Schell name. A well-designed package is critical to the success of a product's sales. It is the point where the consumer's decision is made," explains Mitch Lindgren, partner/designer at Compass Design.

In 1998, Lindgren and the Compass Design team also redesigned the Schell's flagship Deer Brand beer and its Light and Dark products. Lindgren adds, "after the success of the Deer Brand re-design, we were honored to help introduce Fire Brick and Zommerfest. In an industry where everyone wants to present themselves with a long history in the traditions of beer-making, it is a pleasure to work with a company who truly has this experience."

Fresh Design, Enduring Heritage

The Schell Brewing Company was founded in 1860 in New Ulm, Minn., by August Schell, a German immigrant from Durbach. A strong regional brewery with an annual production rate of nearly 60,000 barrels, Schell's is the second-oldest family owned and operated brewery in America.

"Our new design is a more sophisticated, more contemporary look," said Schell Brewing Co. President Ted Marti. "We've emphasized the August Schell brand. It's a fresh face on a product with a 140-year-old brewing tradition."

"Talk about a focus group," says Lindgren, "Ted cares a great deal about the community of New Ulm. They will visit with him at work or on the street and tell him exactly what they think. Everything from 'why mess with a good thing?' to 'thank you for finally doing something new.' Ted listens carefully to what they say."

Working directly with Marti, Compass Design presented dozens of concepts for each product. Each concept was mocked-up in three dimensions, and applied to bottles to allow Marti to visualize the final product.

Red Hot Bricks and Summer by the Lake

"Fire Brick Lager draws its name from the 'fire bricks' used in the old, brick-lined boilers where Lager is brewed. It is a red beer, a very popular beer type right now. But, Schell's didn't want to be seen as trendy, so we needed to be very careful in the way we showed that this is a fine quality red," says Lindgren.

"For our initial concepts, we hand-illustrated two detailed scenes with a traditional coal-shoveler stoking an arched brick oven. We used shades of red and yellow to describe the color without ever saying 'red'. The feeling was right, but working with Ted we decided to focus on the oven and place more emphasis on the name," says Tom Arthur, partner/designer and illustrator for Compass Design.

He continues, "For the final Fire Brick design, we used the arch of the oven and its open doors showing the red-hot, brick background. This central image was displayed on the bottle label as well as the carrying case. For the bottleneck, we have the glowing bricks as the background for the Schell name. This way, everyone clearly knew it was a Schell product, first, and second, that it was Fire Brick Lager."

"The same emphasis for the Schell name and brand name were repeated in the Zommerfest packaging. For people who knew and appreciated the other Schell products, they would first see the Schell's bottle neck labels and then, would zero in on the box or bottle imagery and product name," explains Julia Hemphill, partner/sales at Compass Design.

"We call Zommerfest a new product because this is the first time it's ever appeared in bottles. For the past two years, people could only buy it on tap," she adds.

Lindgren interjects, "Summer in Minnesota means enjoying the outdoors -- going to the lake, fishing, watching the sun set. We knew these were the elements that needed to be a part of what this beer represented."

For imagery, the Compass Design team tried the lone canoeist with paddle in hand, then the motor boat tethered to the shore post; sunset colors of pinks and golds, then of rich, woodsy pine. Finally, they arrived at the right mix -- the golden sunset on a lake with a motorboat tied to a dock.

"The answer wasn't photography," says Lindgren. "We couldn't find the right photo. To meet all the different ways this image needed to be presented, the dock and the lake needed to vary in orientation from a tight, vertical on the bottle label to a wide, horizontal crop for the carrying case. So, to obtain a versatile enough image for all applications, we illustrated it and topped off the whole package with a yellow bottle cap."

Tasty Results

Beyond the beautiful packaging, Compass Design cares about results: Did their creativity help the product sell well?

Lindgren offers this answer, "Ted brews the beer based on advance orders from his buyers. He kept telling them that they would sell out early if they didn't place a bigger order. He was right."

"We made nearly 300 barrels of Zommerfest -- double the quantity in 1998. We basically ran out the end of June. People really enjoyed it," says Marti. "Fire Brick is still available throughout Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. It's doing well and we like that a lot."

Compass Design is a dynamic, Minneapolis-based design office specializing in comprehensive identity and consumer packaging programs for established and growing companies. With its exceptionally experienced and knowledgeable staff, Compass Design strives for integrity and accuracy in its cost-effective, award-winning strategic design solutions.

For more information on Compass Design, please contact Julia Hemphill at (612) 339-1595.

For more information on the August Schell Brewing Company, please visit http://schellsbrewery.com/