Saywells Design Co

We worked hard on these super limited edition bags for and their exclusive Fellow Drops release via . Weird, unique, intensely-fruited coffee infusions; blends via from Colombia.

If you got one, you got one, congrats! I’m sure they’re gone by now.

Thanks, ! Excited for all the weird stuff we’ll make.

The new menu is Volume 3: ESSENCE, and it’s an *experience*. There’s poetry in there from the Ermans, inspired by Ram Dass and Terence McKenna. But there’s a sense of becoming, of existing and reconnecting with the dirt from which we are born. Yeah, it’s a cocktail menu. But there’s a lot in here, conceptually. They always love to push boundaries and expectations of what you can and should experience in a time and a space. Here’s the cover, a watercolor chrysanthemum.

***CAN NUMBER 200***
Two hundred unique beer can designs for since 2016. It’s a dream job. I’m always learning new things, always stretching my style and abilities. I’m so grateful for the playground that the PV crew has provided me!
Maybe it’s no surprise, but I am inspired by old design. Junk type and illustrations on ephemera that people usually just throw away. Could be packaging, a souvenir, a shirt… but I love nostalgia, and that stuff always feels warm and comforting. I was given full control over this design and the beer inside. I wanted to explore the complementary nature of nostalgia and the present moment. Can one look back, and still be present? Also perhaps, it’s a not-so-subtle reminder of what really matters, and the only thing we really have control over.
Meet me at the corner of Here and Now. It’s the only place to be! Come share a moment with me at Pueblo Vida this evening at 5 o’clock! Say hey, gimme a cheers. Tell me about your favorite can, or maybe a piece of design you remember as a kid.

One of my favorite beers that truly embraces our corner of the world. They add prickly pear fruit post fermentation which gives this IPA a gorgeous pink tint. It also provides the beer with a slightly fruity watermelon taste. Mmm.

Last year we redesigned the brand identity system for my friends at up in Flagstaff and Williams, AZ. We kept the vintage Route66/railroad-inspired vibe (hello, “historic”) but brought some extra substance to the whole set. We’ve applied it to a ton of merch and their delicious packaged beer line-up.
Enjoy!

Antelope is an installment in the series recognizing the natural beauty of Arizona. Antelope Canyon is in northern Arizona, known for its stunningly colorful, undulating rock textures.
Swipe for the first entry. Faraway depicts one of my favorite places in this state: Chiricahua National Monument.
Cheers!

This panther is one of five mosaic pieces designed for , premiering this weekend after their August remodel. These Spirit Animals will be LED-illuminated and color-changing, for an ever-evolving experience. I’ll post videos when I can get them.
More to come. Swipe for detail.

SWIPE ➡️
Another set we have been running with at are inspired by old VHS, cassette and Betamax designs. These beers are all IPA versions of their anniversary DIPAs, so the color palette for each can corresponds to the related anniversary can.
Swipe to see photos of some of these cans, plus a sneak peek of a new one in the series, available at PV’s taproom next week!

“Foraged” for is one of my favorites of this year. Hand drawn Sonoran plants cover the can, and we then transposes the artwork to these awesome garden hats by . The last slide shows the custom rope lettering patch designed for the front of these straw hats.

The hats are still for sale at Pueblo Vida’s taproom!

This patch design was created for hats, and produced by . Any time I can draw a roadrunner is a good day.

Get one now at the tap room or online!

Keep an eye out on Catalina Highway and the streets of Tucson for the utility van! Beautifully wrapped by

Illustrating for has been such a joy. Here is a series of botanical illustrations of plants and wildflowers found in the Santa Catalinas. Mount Lemmon Lodge will be a glorious chalet-style lodge hotel in Summerhaven, set to open this fall!

For cans where the hops profile is the same, we create a thematic set of the Pale Ale, IPA and Double IPA. The concept of this series features three traditional Japanese pottery styles: Kintsugi, Arita and Agano.

I was originally inspired by Kintsugi and its metaphor of making imperfections the most beautiful feature. We then branched out from there aesthetically.

Enjoy!

Carapace is a collab can between and , designed as homage to the brilliant midcentury artist, Charley Harper. And, as requested by Kyle at PV, I had to give the tortoise a little Mona Lisa smile… 😏

SURRENDER TO THE INEVITABLE

This is the centerfold design for current menu, “Metamorphosis.” Growth and change are unavoidable, and should be embraced for our own sanity, safety, and wisdom.
The design is constructed by needing out the Fibonacci Sequence (a+b=c). It was so extraordinarily satisfying to a) finally employ nerd geometry visibly to my design, and b) create a balanced piece where I feel removed from any design decisions. Everything sorts just needed to go right where it is.
Thanks, Erman’s, for continuing to push me, and for giving me a platform to do some weird, wild stuff.

Another release for ’s 7th anniversary last month, Dynamicron is an entry into our 80s/VHS-inspired series.

is transforming The Copper Hall into , a premiere jazz lounge and mezcal bar, celebrating the arts, culture and spirits of the borderlands.
I worked on the branding for the new club, leaning on classic and classy motifs that integrate cohesively with the rest of the Hotel Congress brand family. This building is 102 years old, and any identifying graphics must respect this institution’s role in our town’s history, and future!
Congratulations to the Congress fam! Look for this space to welcome folks for the in January.

Nirvanarama for was inspired by that amazing super-niche period of when psychedelic art hit the corporate advertising landscape in the late 1960s. A big nod to John Alcorn’s 7Up ads and signs.
Nirvanarama was released for ’s 7th anniversary festivities last month.

I was honored to work with the team starting a non-profit news service for Arizona. There’s a glaring vacancy in local news in most towns, and will serve as a sustainable, nonpartisan outlet for Southern Arizona. Congrats to Irene, Becky and Dianna! Thanks for having me along for the ride!
will be launching soon!

It felt comical to design this can, but it’s one I’m really proud of. This is Still Life TIPA, a still life oil painting (digital) of a lovely flower arrangement inspired by . The first in this series, Continental IPA, was just an abstract painting that the PV folk said looked like “hotel art”. Now, I wasn’t offended, I think that’s hilarious. So the next installment, as a Triple IPA, definitely needed to be elevated.
And here we are. A still life oil painting. On a beer can. Enjoy.

I’ve been designing for music longer than anything else in my career; I started out by designing gig posters at The Rialto Theatre. But only this year did I get a chance to design for an instrument store. And what a freakin’ pleasure it was to work with the folks at . They’ve been giving music to Tucson for 22 years, but they sorely needed a facelift. It’s the projects with people that truly love what they do that yield the best results.
We also got to collaborate with and for merch, for van wraps, and stay tuned for some fresh neon to light up Speedway next month from Cook and Co Signs!

is set to open this summer up in Williams, AZ, on Route 66. It’ll feature an open-air beer garden, shooting gallery, pan-for-gold, and tasty tasty barbecue for the whole family. Here’s the start of the brand family that will adorn the indoor/outdoor space.
Given all the cacti I’ve drawn in my career, it seemed overdue to dig into cowboys and steer racks. I can’t wait to collect all the shirts, stickers, patches, flattened pennies, pint glasses and bandanas. So fun to work on!
cc:

We’ve designed over 170 unique cans for since 2016. I’ve added more to my website; it’s awesome to go back and look through the archive. I owe so much to Kyle, Linette and the team at Pueblo Vida for trying something different, over and over again—and for giving me such an amazing design playground to play in. I’m very grateful!
Each one of these has a story in it, usually about nature or space or art. Each one was an experiment and learning opportunity. And each one encases the best beer you can find, without fail.
I have my favorites. Do y’all have any favorites here?
Cheers! 🍻

This is from the archives… I helped and design the brand for this amazing eco-conscious and body-conscious clothing store in downtown Tucson, called Fed By Threads. Each piece of clothing sold gave 12 meals to the Community Food Bank. I’ve always loved the work we did on this! Circa 2015

This can is a tribute to a magical place in Southern Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument, released on Earth Day.
This place needs to be a National Park. It’s truly a special spot; a sky island with a ton of anthropological and geographical history and an insane amount of diversity. It’s one of those critical Southern AZ stopover for migrating birds and other animals.
All that, but also stunning to witness.

We started designing this new beer for by pondering what feels like home. Comfort, safety, family, friends, community. We wanted Casa55 to feel like that. Something familiar and comforting, super-accessible and easy to enjoy.
From our house to yours! Grab it at Trader Joe’s, , Total Wine, and of course, at the brewery downtown.

This can series for is an abstraction of the hummingbirds that frequent our Sonoran Desert and sky islands. I wanted to find a way to focus just on the magnificent colors in the iridescent plumage. This is our tribute to the Costa’s, Rufous and Calliope hummingbirds.

This one seems made for today...
Snowy Saguaros was designed for Transit Tea and will be used for their delicious flavored snow cones.
Transit Tea will be open within a few weeks! North side of Speedway near Tucson Blvd.