How a CNM Deep Dive Grad Designed a Label That’s Now on 140,000,000 Cans of Beer

One weekend in December, Andrew Martinez and 400 other people packed into a local venue in Seattle, Washington, along with three bands and spent hours celebrating. They were there because Andrew, who graduated from CNM Ingenuity’s Deep Dive Coding User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) bootcamp, won a national contest put on by Pabst Blue Ribbon. His design was printed onto 140,000,000 cans of beer that people across the country were now cracking open and drinking. 

Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) actually sponsored the celebration and put up a billboard in Seattle with Andrew’s design plus ran a national media campaign. For Andrew, it was an honor to win and be recognized.

“What’s funny is that my design doesn’t have their logo on it, but they said, ‘we love it so much we’re going to put it on our can anyways.’ That was amazing,” Andrew says. 

Andrew has years of graphic design experience and had previously worked with several bands and breweries. He enrolled in the CNM Ingenuity Deep Dive UX/UI Bootcamp to expand and hone his skills and says the bootcamp elevated his work to the next level. 

“In the bootcamp I was pushed to think about why things work a certain way and why certain designs work better than others,” he says. “And my collaborative skills were also strengthened. Getting and using feedback in the bootcamp furthered my ability to communicate and work with clients.”

After graduating Andrew was on the hunt for projects that would expand his skills and strengthen his portfolio, and that’s when he came across the label contest. It was about a year ago and at the time he had just come down with COVID. But that allowed Andrew to stay at home for 12 days straight and throw everything he had at the designs. He actually submitted seven different designs and the one PBR chose is what Andrew calls the most “psychedelic” and “fantasy” of the bunch.

Thanks to his contest win and all the exposure that’s come with it, Andrew has received lots of new freelance work. He’s doing branding and merchandising for several Seattle bands and also helped design another beer label for a collaboration between a band and a brewery. 

The future is bright, and wide open, and he’s thankful that he had the chance to work on such a large-scale project with such a forward-thinking brand like PBR.

“Through this project PBR has shown how even a large, established brand can respect an artist’s vision and be completely supportive,” he says. 

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