Graphic Designer Wins American Packaging Design Award

HICKORY, NC          Matt Everley, of Hickory-based graphic design studio m.e.designlab, was recently selected as a winner for a 2023 American Packaging Design Award by a nationwide panel of judges. The award recognizes excellence in communication and graphic design.

The competition was presented by Graphic Design USA Magazine. A highly selective 10% of the 2,000+ entries were honored this year. Everley’s winning entry was for the label design of a series of barrel-aged beers for Sidetracked Brewery in Morganton, NC.

“I’ve designed dozens of label series throughout my career, but this one seemed special right out of the gate,” Everley said. “I was able to work closely with Sidetracked Brewery’s owner and head brewer Joseph Ackerman on each of these concepts. We created some preliminary options for the first two beers (Tyrannis and Aleannan) and decided on the direction. From there we continued to develop the look and feel, and carried it through to the third beer, Altera Vida. Partnering with breweries like Sidetracked and people who have a passion for their work are what keep me coming back to design creative packaging in the craft beer industry. This award reinforces the design on the label lives up to the beer inside it!”

Barrel-aged beers in this series can be found in select stores in the Morganton, Hickory, and Charlotte areas of North Carolina, as well as from Sidetracked Brewery in Morganton, NC.

Everley has won numerous awards for logos, web sites, direct mail and corporate identity systems including several previous American Graphic Design Awards over the last two decades. Matt resides in Hickory, NC with his wife and three daughters. His portfolio can be viewed at www.matte69.sg-host.com/portfolio. For more information, call 919-593-2092.