VEssel

3 Days | December 2, 3, 4, 2025

Branding | Packaging | Design Thinking

Create a physical “vessel” that encapsulates who I am as a designer.

The Idea :

Experience-first thinking; storytelling through production details and personal brand consistency.

Approach:

Concept Rational

  • Label design distills identity, hierarchy, craft, and communication into a single surface. It’s where brand and material meet, and a chance to show both conceptual thinking and executional precision.

  • A wine bottle felt an appropriate object in the industries Makers & Allies works in, making it the ideal canvas to communicate my understanding of packaging, storytelling, and brand experience.

  • Design is experienced physically. Creating a tactile unboxing moment allowed me to express craft, approach, and detail in a way that digital work alone can’t.

Process

  • early ideation

    Rough, quick sketches combined with notes and callouts are always how I begin thinking about a concept.

  • rough physical mockup

    I believe prototyping physically is the quickest way to validate an idea. It familiarizes us with scale and tactile elements in a way digital mockups can’t, since design is something we experience, not just see.

  • Final label test render

    ChatGPT has become integrated into my process as a designer as it is the most efficient way to create visuals. Developing custom prompts has been a game changer in workflow and led to greater iterative ability.

  • Refined physical Mockup

    The back label layout was inspired by wine descriptions, reimagined to communicate my approach, skills, and process as a designer.

  • refined physical mockup

    80g cardstock was selected for its texture and matte finish providing a premium yet homestyle feel. Inspired by natural wine labels and the playful qualities they exemplify.

  • testing bottle shapes, glass tints and label color combos

    I believe iteration always leads to the most thoughtful and impactful design. Choosing bottle tint and shape was a decision based on what would be the truest distillation of who I am. A clear glass bottle exemplifies, authenticity, adaptability, and clearly communicates what’s inside— these qualities resonated, making it an easy choice.

  • Label Graphic Explorations

    Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign were used to develop vectored graphics, test finish textures and build production ready layout with industry standard layer structure. 

Visual Identity System
Primary Typeface:

Pragmatica Extended

Secondary Typeface:

Aktiv Grotesk Regular

Tertiary Typeface: 
IBM Mono Light
Color Palette:
Website Background
  • HEX #FAFAFA
  • Soft neutral backdrop that reinforces clarity and spaciousness.
Text / Primary Ink Color
  • HEX #1C1C1D
  • Dark charcoal tone used for all typography and linework.
Link Color / Tertiary Color
  • HEX #FFEC4D
  • Golden yellow used sparingly adds playfulness while complimenting minimal, spacious and clean aesthetic.
Logo:
Asterisk
  • HEX #1C1C1D
  • The Asterisk mark represents the details and intentional thought behind a thing. When developing a personal mark an asterisk stood out for its representation of specificity, practicality and versatility.
Final Concept 
Reflection / Outcome

This 3-day project was a chance to blend storytelling, tactile design, and production detail into a single experience. It encapsulates how I think about design and my process for bringing ideas to life. 

Recommendations

“I had the pleasure of working with Seattle on multiple projects during his ID internship at Evolve. Seattle is a smart and talented young designer. The kind that knows how to iterate and put the work in when it's needed. Seattle has a bag full of skills, great communication skills, and the heart in the right place.

I can recommend Seattle to anyone in need of an outstanding design talent, that is curious, intelligent, a team player, and with solid values. Hopefully our paths cross again in the future.”

- Christian Freissler (Co-Founder at Evolve)

“Seattle is a dedicated, thoughtful, and clever young designer. During his internship at Evolve, we worked together on a variety of projects, from sketch concepts to final prototypes. He has the unique ability to approach problems holistically and develop concepts quickly in order to find a range of great solutions. 

Collaboration is key to our process at Evolve and his open communication and idea contributions made him a fantastic asset to our team. Seattle’s dedication to his craft and desire to help make the world a better place through design, would make him a great fit to many design teams.”

- Wesley Hare (Principle Designer at Evolve)
Wes and I working on a packaging design project.
Thank you for your time and consideration.