Artist & Liquid: How Dogfish Head Lets a ‘Multi-Sensory’ Art Experience be the De Facto Marketing Campaign

Campfire Amplifier is not only one of the newest additions to Dogfish Head’s 2020 seasonal portfolio, but it offers a sneak peek at the collaborating artist for the brewery’s 2021 Off-Centered Art Series.

The series lineup will feature label artwork by Ryan Besch, who has been designing posters and vinyl art for more than 20 years and has worked with a wealth of well-known groups, including Phish, The Black Keys, O.A.R. and many more.

“We have always seen craft beer recipe-design and packaging-design as methods of creative expression that can be exponentially awesome if the liquid and the packaging speak to each other as a multi-sensory experience,” said founder Sam Calagione. “The impetus of our Off-Centered Art Series comes from team Dogfish’s shared love for both art and beer, and since this series’ inception, it has been a way for us to celebrate the creativity that can be found at the intersection of art and ales.”

To a large degree, with the art-series, Calagione said the recipe and the packaging design themselves are the de facto ‘marketing campaign.’

“Our Off-Centered Art Series is less about marketing and more about the creative expression found at the intersection of art and ales,” he said. “That said, sharing information with drinkers about our collaborating artist and his/her inspiration for each packaging design provides some really great storytelling opportunities.

“We love hosting short interviews with them for our co-workers and social followers to learn more about each collaboration. It helps us tell these stories in a way that all the creative voices of those who brought the project to life are being heard.”

To choose each year’s Off-Centered Art Series artist, Calagione said they rely heavily on the in-house creative team and the opinions of artists they have worked with in the past on who might be a good fit to work with next.

“Our designers and I scour the web and social media and the art world to identify unique artists that share Dogfish Head’s passion for off-centeredness,” Calagione said. “After narrowing it down to just a couple of contenders, we make the decision together.”