How to Tell a Story with Your Beer through Design, with Ben Butler of Top Hat
Reuben's Sightglass
English - September 08, 2021 12:00 - 56 minutes - 51.3 MB - ★★★★★ - 41 ratingsDocumentary Society & Culture Business Management beer brewery brewing craft beer craft brewery craft brewing entrepreneurship ownership Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Design is one of the least discussed but potentially most important things a brewery can do to tell their story. If you do it well you will connect with your customer, helping to build a critical and lasting bond, or as Ben Butler of Top Hat puts it, a "gentle handshake." This is especially true for new breweries trying to make their mark in the crowded marketplace today: how will your customers know what you stand for and what you are trying to say? And how will you stand out on the shelf with packaging that communicates this same message?
Ben Butler founded Pittsburgh's Top Hat design and marketing agency before he had even graduated from college. His energy, passion, and entrepreneurial spirit - along with partner Aaron Easler and the whole Top Hat team - have propelled his agency to the forefront of craft brewery design and branding. Beginning with their "Will Work for Beer" campaign that drew the attention of their first brewery client Lord Hobo Brewing, leading to an impressive (and award-winning) brand refresh of Pittsburgh's iconic Iron City Beer, and on to successful projects for the likes of us at Reuben's Brews, Top Hat has made a mark as an innovative partner for breweries and other small businesses to refine their storytelling through design.
Adam and Matt at Reuben's Brews are equally passionate about the role that storytelling and design have with connecting the consumer to the true mission of a brewery. When we embarked on our brand refresh project in 2019, even before connecting with Ben and Top Hat, we spent considerable time delving in to the "Why" of Reuben's Brews: the reason we brew and the reason we push to be better. In the closing notes of this episode Adam brings up the seminal "Start with Why" TED Talk by Simon Sinek which is worth watching for anyone who is interested in branding.
This episode concludes the fourth season of Reuben's Sightglass and hopefully provides a capstone to this overview of the Business of Beer.
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The fourth season of Reuben’s Sightglass dives deep into the Business of Beer. Listeners will learn about the backend of the brewery businesses, the highs and lows, mistakes and wins, and what makes a good beer vs what makes a great beer. Let this season guide you through your personal beer story.
It’s time to embark on your beer journey.