MAD DOG
Task: Packaging and billboard design
Introducing MadDog: an alcohol free beer brand designed to target today's growing market of consumers who are:
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Sick of facing peer pressure to get drunk to conform with the UK's heavy drinking culture
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Recovering from alcohol dependency
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Pregnant
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Religious, or
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Those who simply don't want to experience the negative effects of hangovers, blackouts and regrettable decisions that may come with excessive drinking.
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The colours of the packaging for this brand were inspired by another real-life alcohol free beer brand called 'Impossibrew'.
Although I greatly admire Impossibrew's intentions behind their brand to make consumers feel involved in party culture without having to consume alcohol, I felt like the black-and-white, minimalist design that they use for their packaging made the topic of sobriety feel clinical, technical and boring.
As someone within the target consumer demographic for alcohol free drinks, I understand the insecurities that some sober drinkers may have of being perceived as 'boring' so I created colourful designs on MadDog's packaging to show that sobriety can still be just as fun as drunkenness.
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After designing the drink label, I pitched my design to a focus group of 150 people
Identities of participants: Mostly Gen Z and millenials. Heavily mixed with a diversity of genders, races and disabilities. Also included people who were extroverts, introverts, recovering alcoholics, autistic and Muslim.
Feedback:
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When asked to associate random words with the brand, participants chose descriptions such as "energy, rave, nightclub, colourful, Irish, sweet, gen z, WKD, Tiktok".
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The most interesting and unexpected result from this focus group was that, when MadDog bottles were compared in photos next to Impossibrew, some participants commented that the brightness of the colours on MadDog's bottles suggested a more intense and sugary flavour.
The focus of my advertising for this brand was on those who abstain from alcohol due to rejecting the social pressures of the UK's drinking culture.
I targeted this group by producing a series of adverts that reminded viewers of the negative effects of excessive alcohol consumption and hinted the benefits of sobriety as a better alternative.
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