Simply Bourbon

This project and campaign was born not just out of a love for bourbon, but the story surrounding it – its origins, the places that distill it, the people it brings together. These stories led to the design of a commemorative coffee table book meant to highlight and educate people on the story of bourbon.

There was a collaboration with Willet Distillery to capture the bourbon-making process through imagery, word, and illustration. The goal was to create a piece that would be appreciated and strike a cord with both casual bourbon drinkers and enthusiasts alike.

Services
Book Design, Print, Illustration, Creative Direction

Additional Creative Direction
Justin Ahrens

Typesetting/Production Design
Hannah Austin

Copywriting
Bob Davidson

Photography
Wonderkind Studios

Print Production
O’Neil Printing

Cover Art
The cover design was meant to capture the life cycle of bourbon from grains at the start, to bottle at the end. This illustrative emblem was lazer-burned on a disc of wood to pay homage to the bourbon barreling process. Along the left, leather edge, closest to the spine, several icons were debossed, depicting the tools and contraptions of distilling.

Illustrations
In order to capture the artisanal craft of distilling bourbon, several illustrations were created in a drawn/painted, analog style to reference the handmade craft. Each illustration complements the crisp imagery by bringing a sense of nostalgia through its quirks and warm color palette.

Accompanying the drawn illustrations were more mathematical, mono-line executions of diagrams, infographics, and iconography. These visual elements created a clear, legible, and flexible graphic language to reinforce the content and better illustrate process-driven concepts.