Ryan Trayte of Saywells Design creates 130 beautiful beer can designs for Pueblo Vida Brewing Company, and much more…

Ryan Trayte creates incredible moments with his beer can designs for Pueblo Vida Brewing Company. He has created over 130 unique compositions since 2015, each one with a story that evokes the growing, energetic, creative, and groovy spirit of the Tucson and Sonoran desert community.

“I try to inject gratitude and appreciation for what we have here in Tucson into each project.”

 

At a recent Creative Mornings presentation, Ryan showed us his wonderful design work and explained how fortunate he has been to stumble into “bucket list” projects by the act of collaborating with his clients and colleagues. His work with the organization Why I Love Where I Live, promotes the local Tucson community by selling unique face masks and tee shirts to encourage people to support local businesses and each other during this challenging time. A stunning op-art mural for a struggling restaurant was made through his collaboration with Tucson designer Joel Harris. He explains that he was lucky to have been raised and educated with privilege, and it is part of his process to “inject gratitude and appreciation for what we have here in Tucson into each project.” This is apparent in his work, and no surprise is the incredible beer can designs for Pueblo Vida.

 

I noticed that you collaborate with the University of Arizona to develop some of your ideas for these beer cans. Can you tell me about that? For example, for the beautiful “Threshold” design that you created to celebrate Earth Day, you worked with the Climate Systems Center at the university to shape the data from average yearly rainfall and temperatures in Tucson since 1920.

Climate Systems Center is another client of mine; they contracted me to design their brand identity and website. It’s a public information campaign by a group of climate scientists at the University of Arizona, who also happen to be big fans of Pueblo Vida beer. So we all met up and planned a can release around Earth Day 2020, and decided to call it Threshold, which refers to a tipping point in global climate changes that lead to lasting effects. It took a couple months of planning and brainstorming, with a directive focused around somehow communicating the rising temperatures of our area. I ran with that, and mined the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) weather archives for average yearly temperatures in Tucson for the last 100 years. I assigned a color for each 1/10th of a percent from a gradient, to illustrate the overall trend. It’s often hard to digest climate change statistics, so we thought it’d be effective to make it visual, and bring it closer to home.

 

RYAN’S INSTAGRAM: CREATIVE PROCESS POST

In honor of Earth Day, @pueblovida is releasing THRESHOLD. A collaboration with @ua_climate, it uses data from @noaa of average annual temperatures in Tucson, Arizona from 1920-2019. 1920 is at the bottom at 65.5° (deep blue), the minimum in the data set. The max is toward the top at 73.2° (deep red) for 2017. 

 

 

“I started to play an active role in downtown Tucson’s revitalization…I caught the wave, and my design business was basically built on it.”

 

Are you a Tucson native? How did you come to live in Tucson, and why do you stay?

I was born near Cleveland, Ohio, but grew up mostly in Scottsdale. I came to Tucson in 2000 to attend UofA. I didn’t like much of Tucson during college, and was itching to leave, back when downtown was a ghost town after 5pm. But then I started to play an active role in downtown Tucson’s revitalization. I had the good fortune of working with places like The Rialto Theatre, Sparkroot, Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine, Exo Roast Co, Pueblo Vida Brewing Company, and the historic Fourth Avenue district to help elevate the visual impact of downtown. I caught the wave, and my design business was basically built on it.

 

I understand you studied music and business at the University of Arizona. Tell me about your movements on the planet so far, and how you got to be from that beginning to where you are now with Saywells Design.

The music building at the university was the only place on campus where I really felt inspired to learn. Much to my parents’ dismay (“what are you gonna do, study to be a rock star?!”) I majored in Music and minored in Business. That got me internships which led to jobs, eventually at the newly reopened historic Rialto Theatre. I was running the box office, scheduling marketing, and paying bands. All the while playing in bands myself and doing dumb gig posters and band shirts. When Beck was scheduled to play the Rialto in 2006, I decided I’d make a gig poster just to see if he’d sign it. It worked! I showed it to my boss at the Rialto and he asked me to design for the theatre. I used each show as a chance to experiment and stretch my skills. Eventually, I befriended the amazing folks in Calexico, who hired me to design a box set and subsequent albums for them. My exposure through the Rialto allowed me to quit my day job and be a full-time designer. I’m very grateful to be able to hustle at the right place, right time. I still design posters for them…14 years later!

 

Your Instagram page shows work that exudes meaning, exquisite craft and an open and conscious value system. How did you come to cultivate and develop your artistic discipline? 

I think studying and playing music played a big part in how I approach design. I really appreciate big projects, things that take a lot of work to craft and perfect. And the collaborative nature of this community has instilled a pride of what we build, because it all adds up to what we are designing for ourselves. We’re building our community, and it’s easy to tell that Tucson wants an active role in its own future. I’m just trying to make it look good.

 

RYAN’S INSTAGRAM: CREATIVE PROCESS POST

The newest @pueblovida beer can design is called PONDER, because Arizona is home to the largest ponderosa pine forest in the world! You might see in the time lapse, I was pushing for it to be called PONDER RING (get it?) but maybe that’s too on the nose… I was really trying to get 64 rings, since this’ll be the 64th can release, but I only made it to 42. Shout-out to @deserthomespun and all our friendly tree ring counters over at the @treeringlabua at the University of Arizona. Enjoy, dendrochronology fans! It’s a tasty beer!

“A buddy of mine told me I’m basically designing gig posters as beer cans. Sure. I’ll take it.”

 

Each of these wonderful beer can designs has a different story to tell. I understand the fact they are all different is an opportunity borne out of the limitations of printing on the cans. Can you describe how production concerns helped get you solve the problem in this way?

Constraints always help the process. It’s too wide open when every option’s on the table. But with Pueblo Vida, almost every can is only sold out of their tap room. So folks already know what they’re buying when they pick it up. We’re able to ditch all the usual “requirements” that a package design must have—like a big logo front and center, clear product type and description, consistency across the product family to keep it related on a busy shelf…we moved all that to the back, and we use each can to tell a story—usually with as little as possible, and usually about nature or science. A buddy of mine told me I’m basically designing gig posters as beer cans. Sure. I’ll take it.

 

I understand most of the work on these can designs is your own, and for some you work with another artist/illustrator. Can you tell me about your collaborations with other creatives in Tucson? 

Nearly all of the Saywells Design work is my own. There have been projects where I’ve collaborated with friends like Joel Harris, Hunter King, and the amazing Claire Seizovic. Joel and I recently designed a mural on the facade of Ermanos Craft Beer & Wine Bar on Fourth Avenue. We felt a big responsibility this summer with such a big canvas, to show support for the disenfranchised and underrepresented. We needed to say Ermanos is welcoming to all, and it will return soon. But also show that Black Lives Matter, and we are here for it.

 

RYAN’S INSTAGRAM: CREATIVE PROCESS POST

ENTROPY describes a system’s natural, gradual decline into chaos and disorder. Those punks at PV wanted to give me a particularly tough challenge. I settled on a pattern (yep, Qbert rules) and began figuring out how to design it slowly degrading. The color palette is grabbed from pure digital noise. I divided the design into ten horizontal sections, then calculated the percentage of objects within that section that must be in color. A ridiculous amount of clicks later, I used a script that randomly applies a color palette to achieve natural noise. Now I’ve got a smooth procession of black & white, ordered Pattern into noisy, colorful disorder. One of my new favs. Enjoy!

 

I loved when you said this at the Creative Mornings talk: “I try to inject gratitude and appreciation for what we have here in Tucson, into every project that I work on.”

I have to attribute this notion to Why I Love Where I Live. They continue to inspire how I interact and view my role in the community and its role in my world.

“If we are each bringing our passion and values to the work, then that’s where something great happens.”

 

“I only work with clients who share similar values” —does this help you to stay real and let the best work come forth?

What I think brings the best work forth is working with people that also have passion for what they do. If we are each bringing our passion and values to the work, then that’s where something great happens. Everyone’s got their craft. And if that’s what I have to visually represent, then I gotta dig down to why they’re doing it and make that shine. That’s what good branding communicates, and that’s what customers want to feel when they buy your stuff.

What are you looking forward to, in the realm of art and design, whether in your own work, others, new technology, or other creative pursuits?

I’ve always wanted to serve as my own client, to design and build something purely of my own. However, a) I can’t seem to carve out the time to do it, and b) I can’t ever decide on what it should be! But nevertheless, what’s got me looking forward is the opportunity for more legacy projects that help make Tucson a bigger dot on the map, and help cement this time period as identifiable and recognizable. I love that so many others feel this too. The tide is rising, and I’m just happy to be in one boat of many out here. Also, I’m excited about all the sustainable packaging solutions that are becoming more and more accessible to small businesses. But boy, do I have a lot to learn.

“The tide is rising, and I’m just happy to be in one boat of many out here.”

 

What do you worry about?

Personally, staying relevant in the design world and in the business community. I also worry about whether I’m doing enough to bring the right voices to the table. It’s an active thought process for me now, and I’m doing my best to direct work that comes to me toward those that may serve that role better than I. We have a beautifully diverse community in Tucson. I believe I represent Tucson, but not every facet of it. There is so much talent out there, each with a powerful voice that needs to be heard.

“There is so much talent out there, each with a powerful voice that needs to be heard.”

 

Do you see any trends in package design?

Many! And they all go in and out so quickly. There are truly some masters of color and type out there right now, really breaking expectations of what you’ll find on a grocery store or bottle shop shelf.

 

RYAN’S INSTAGRAM: CREATIVE PROCESS POST

We experimented with an old craft (new to us!) called Paper Marbling. It’s so satisfying and magical to watch the paper grab the paint and freeze it in time. It’s also very spontaneous, so you really have to just let it all happen how it happens. VERY excited to show you all where this will end up. Big plans.

CONNECT WITH RYAN

Ryan Trayte, Saywells Design
Address: 218 N. 4th Ave., Tucson, Arizona 85705
Website: www.saywellsdesign.com
Email: ryan@saywellsdesign.com
Instagram: instagram.com/saywellsdesign
Facebook: facebook.com/saywellsdesign