The ask: "design a product from scratch with packaging that fills a need in our portfolio and looks like it could fit with the Devils Backbone brand. "
The problem: DBBC only has one regional beer in its portfolio: Crabcakes and Football,  brewed for Marylanders, our neighbors to the north.
The Solution: Barbecue and Basketball, an ale aged on sweet black tea for our neighbors to the south.
Being from NC, I know how big of a deal it is when spring is just beginning, the NCAA March Madness tournament kicks off, and it’s time to start hosting backyard cookouts again. This beer is designed to be enjoyed for exactly those moments. The beer is brewed with aged black tea leaves, creating a sweet-tea flavored beer that honors the unofficial-official beverage of the south. 

The packaging is designed to reflect the North Carolina flag, so that it complements the Maryland flag packaging of Crabcakes and Football. Also featured on the side panel are the colors of Tarheel blue and Wolfpack red, to appeal to fans of both state universities in NC.
Adding Barbecue and Basketball to DBBC's regional beer line-up gives beer drinkers over both borders of Virginia a drink that they can feel special for having. Pictured below is my can design next to DBBC's Crabcakes and Football beer.
The product webpage.
All assets together.
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