February 24, 2016 | Designed by

I proudly present the first “Behind the Label” post, sponsored by . This monthly feature will take a deeper look into the process of creating a label and a beer brand with plenty of additional information and photos from both the designer and the brewery. Today we look at Oregon’s (pronounced “freem”).

A start-up brewer based in Hood River, Oregon, asked us to create an entirely new brand from scratch. From the start, we were blown away by their team chemistry, character and vision and, most of all, by their ambition to brew the best beer in the world. The trouble is, the craft beer world is rapidly approaching comical over-saturation levels. Breaking through in such a heavily fragmented marketplace wasn’t going to be easy, even when you have all the ingredients for success in place.

— The Great Society

We started with a deep dive into the history of beer. We were intrigued by the fact that venerable brands from all over the world had traditionally been named after their founders and reflected a personal guarantee of quality. We were also very inspired by the extremely strong family culture that the founders wanted to bring to the new company. was born, and the work of filling out the rest of the brand identity system — designing and producing bottle labels, signage, a website, an entire line of tap handles, packaging, tasting trays, branded swag and lots more began.

Initial logo sketches

Final pFriem wordmark

pFriem Labels

Standing out in the gladiator pit of the beer aisle takes an extremely clear and strong brand identity. The category is overrun with clever names and eye candy. Given our aspirations, we knew we had to be above all that. We needed to be different, but we also wanted to project a premium identity that gave people a strong sense of the man and the family behind the world-class beer.

pFriem began bottling in April 2015

We drew directly on the strong family orientation of the founders, as well as their love for the outdoor wonderland they reside in — Hood River, Oregon. In addition, Brewmaster and Founder Josh Pfriem inspired us with his admiration of the Belgian brewing tradition and stories of his travels to Belgium to knock on the doors of and learn from the world’s greatest brewers.

Josh Pfriem is the co-founder and Brewmaster of pFriem Family Brewers. Before opening his own operation in 2012, Josh worked at Full Sail and Chuckanut Brewery.

pFriem artisanal beers are symphonies of flavor and balance, influenced by the great brewers of Belgium, but unmistakably true to our homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest. Although they are served humbly, each glass is overflowing with pride and a relentless aspiration to brew the best beer in the world. We’ll let you decide.

— Josh Pfriem

The launch has been a massive hit. In their first year in business, pFriem has already doubled capacity, hired their 25th employee and is four years ahead of projections in their business plan.

pFriem Tap Handles

The tap handles in action

Printing Information:
Label Type: Pressure-Sensitive
Printer Name:
Print Method: Flexographic

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