Alec Doherty is a London-based illustrator working out of a studio located in an old warehouse originally used to make board games in the 1900s. Doherty studied graphic arts at Leeds Metropolitan University (now called Leeds Beckett University), and his clients include everyone from Microsoft to the Church of London. He collects cans of tomato puree and hopes to travel in space one day, when the tickets are cheaper.
Your illustrations tell a story. What was your thought process in arriving at your final solution?
alec doherty: Partizan brews and bottles two or three new beers each week, which all have unique labels. Ideas for new labels come from different places. Sometimes it’s related to the ingredients of the beer, sometimes the date it was brewed, sometimes a piece of music the brewers were listening to while they made it, or an event or person related to the brew. Other times it’s something far more arbitrary, like a shade or range of colors that work well with the beer. The brewers let me know what they’re brewing at the start of each week. I might have an idea about how I want the label to look straight away, but I occasionally need to take some time to think about it and let some ideas surface. I’ll often do some research into the ingredients, dates, or style of beer, or I’ll look through books and images to help me find some direction.
Your work involves lots of intertwined figures. How did this become such an integral part of your repertoire?
I think we’re all naturally curious about each other, and I found myself drawing people a lot, almost exclusively—their faces, hands, and figures. I like how the body can be as expressive as the face. Dancing is a great example of that, so a lot of my characters are dancing.
How does the question of legibility come into play when working with hand lettering?
Legibility is something that comes up quite a lot with these beer labels. On a lot of them, the characters spell out the style of the beer with their bodies. It’s not always easy to read the words. I like watching people studying the labels, figuring out the words and the little bits of symbology. For some people, figuring it out is rewarding, and they get a feeling of ownership for the time they’ve invested in that act; it’s a bit of fun. I’m sure for a lot of people it’s frustrating and they’d much prefer big, bold, legible type across the label, but that’s not what I do.
Do you base your figures on a particular typeface?
I guess Futura features a lot in my work. I think it’s a beautiful typeface with a very interesting history.
What was your favorite part of designing this project? It looks like such a fun one.
I really enjoy every aspect of the Partizan Brewing projects, from concept to artwork. I guess if I had to say in general, it would be that “golden hour” where the concept has come together and you have clarity, and all that’s left to do is apply some polish to crisp everything up—I really enjoy that bit.
product: Partizan Brewing
client: Partizan Brewing
art director/hand letterer: Alec Doherty
photographer: Morgan K. Spencer
medium: Mixed media
country: United Kingdom
“Getting ideas down on paper is important for me,” Doherty says. “It might just be half an idea that you revisit six months later with the other half. Ideas come from accidents when I’m sketching stuff out.”
