Designer Collectors: Designer Craft Beer Can Collection

Vida Jurcic RGD shares her collection of designer craft beer cans.

What do you collect?

I collect craft brewery beer cans. It’s a fast-growing collection that is expanding as our local Vancouver craft brew industry grows. I am very discerning when it comes to their design so my collection consists of a little over a dozen cans for now. I keep them in a vintage Ikea industrial-looking galvanized metal box.

How long have you been collecting?

I love beer. I love craft. I love design. The whole thing really took off when my partner and I bought a copy of The Growler in 2020 and decided to visit every craft brewery listed in the Lower Mainland and beyond. Including on Vancouver Island and in the Interior of BC, there are almost 200. We’re about halfway through our tour and looking forward to more exploration this summer as we plan our road trips.

How does your collection inspire you as a designer?

Not only is my collection a gathering of design objects, it’s a collection of experiences. Each piece is a reflection of those moments in time when we imbibed that amber, golden or deep brown brew and lost ourselves in the ambiance of carefree joy that only a brewery can provide. I am very inspired by the use of illustration, typography and minimalist design that a lot of my favourite cans provide. Buying beer for home at Superflux is a treat. The fabulous cans designed by Matt Kohlen and Adam Henderson are a modern take on retro shapes and colour palettes. The Strange Fellows series, designed by Christine Moulson, are mysterious and evocative of fairy tales and folklore, so much so that I just had to have a “Beldame” t-shirt too. Beer can designs live in a 3D, multi-sensory space and they can influence the whole experience of pouring, tasting, smelling and enjoying the contents. The can design is a manifestation of the brand that enhances that whole experience.

Your favourites? 

I am a modernist and minimalist in my approach to design. My mantra is “When in doubt, leave it out.” My favourite can right now (and probably always will be) is the “33” Lemondrop Hazy IPA can from 33 Brewing Experiment, designed by Post Projects in Vancouver. The beauty of it is that the design is pared down to the essence of what it means to be a can of beer and what it does to the human psyche. Not only does it use the nature of the container unabashedly but, by doing this, it stands out fearlessly amongst all other cans. It is a can and proud of it.

An item you aspire to have in your collection?

I would absolutely love to have at least one 1930s beer can. Those vintage cans were typographically beautiful and structurally so different to what we have today.