PAUL’S STICKING TO
AWARD-WINNING WEXFORD ILLUSTRATOR PAUL RECK ENSURES THAT BOTTLES OF YELLOWBELLY LOOK AS GOOD AS THEY TASTE. LEARNED MORE
A WEXFORD illustrator and graphic designer has been awarded ‘ best branding and design’ for his distinct work with the town’s YellowBelly beer, brewed at Simon Lambert’s pub on South Main Street.
Wexford native Paul Reck began working for local business YellowBelly beer as a freelancer creating the main character for the logo along with illustrations for their first bottle release and comics to accompany them. Now he is working full-time designing artwork, comics, animations and video games to help promote their excellent product.
The Wexford company was recently awarded ‘ best bottle label’ and ‘ best branding and design’ from The Beer Nut for its unique artwork.
Designer Paul said: ‘Well, obviously I was delighted. Sometimes it can feel like you are creating work only for yourself. It can be difficult to gauge the expectations of your audience. Awards like this mean that we are going in the right direction.’
The central character is the brand’s namesake and an amalgamation of different elements.
‘He was intended to be a timeless character and incorporates elements of all the founder members of YellowBelly beer,’ said Paul. ‘But he is not alone in his world and encounters scores of other characters on his adventures. He’s likely to meet Red Riding Hood, talking pigs and bare-knuckle fighting kangaroos.’
Through the comics, the customers and followers can peek behind the curtain into the world of YellowBelly. ‘People seem to like that familiarity. Through the comics they can grow with us,’ said Paul. ‘Our comics are the glue that holds our universe together and we are very proud of their success.’
A video game, released in December, was designed in-house and was the fruit of a lot of time and effort. The game was a huge learning curve for most involved as nobody within the company had created one or anything like it before.
‘We are very proud of the game,’ said Paul. ‘It was a really fun challenge to marry the classic arcade game with our unique aesthetic.’
Paul does a bit of freelance when he has time to squeeze in a few art commissions. He is now working on a cinematic novel with another Wexford author. Different in style compared to YellowBelly, Paul feels it is important to vary his work so it doesn’t go stale.
Even though the beers are not yet widely available, YellowBelly has gained an international following for it artwork and content. The graphic content on the web has piqued the interest of bloggers and consumers across the globe.
Paul said: ‘ They follow our stories through our comics and animations, giving us a loyal fanbase who are thirsty, not only for our beer, but to continue our adventure with us.’