Would you like beer with your work of art? Luke has designs on the craft ale revolution

Luke Knight is brewing a bright future for himself after combining his love of illustration and beer.

The University of Northampton Illustration graduate is forging a name for himself as the go-to guy for small breweries who want to make their beer stand out from the crowd.

A collaboration with Burton Latimer’s Boot Town Brewery has seen the 23-year-old design a stunning series of bottle labels and can designs.

Luke’s work with Boot Town follows a previous link up with Coventry’s Twisted Barrel brewery, which saw him design posters, bottle labels and a T-shirt, for a student project.

Some of Luke’s label designs for Twisted Barrel

“You can have the best craft beer in the world, but you have to get people’s attention, or nobody’s going to buy it,” said Luke, whose day job, conveniently, is assistant manager of Beer Guerrilla craft ale shop in Wellingborough Road, Northampton.

“You just need to look at all the label and can designs in the shop to see that artwork and branding is seen by the industry as equally important as the actual product.

“You could say that when you buy a can of craft beer, you’re also buying a work of art.”

Luke is now looking to work with other small breweries, helping them to develop their brand.

He said: “Over the last 20 years there’s been something of a craft beer revolution, with more and more start-up breweries popping up, and brands like Brew Dog breaking into the mainstream.

“It’s sparked something of a revolution in design too, because each brewery places so much importance on how they market and present their product. It’s an industry which welcomes creative people with open arms – it’s an exciting time to be an illustrator.”

Luke outside Beer Guerrilla, where he’s assistant manager

You can find out more about the Illustration degree on the course page.