Design Case Study: Glass Bottle Design
My Role: Front-end innovation, design inspiration, iterative sketch exploration, concept refinement, CAD development & visualization
During my time at O-I, I had the privilege of serving as the sole industrial designer and design lead for SweetWater Brewing Company's first-ever proprietary structural bottle. Tasked with translating the iconic craft brewery's distinct brand culture into a physical glass touchpoint, I owned the process from initial sketch concepting and tactile embossing exploration through to final manufacturing-ready 3D CAD development. This program required balancing highly precise glass blow-molding constraints—including wall-thickness distribution, labeling panel radii, and line-handling durability—with an elevated, tactile consumer experience. The resulting design established a powerful, proprietary shelf presence for a brand I personally admire, delivering a highly successful structural asset that instantly distinguishes SweetWater's lineup in a crowded market.
SweetWater Brewing, based in Atlanta Georgia, reached out O-I when they acquired their very own set of beer bottle molds. Working with our design team, they wanted to modify the existing molds to create a proprietary bottle design.
DESIGNING AROUND AN EXISTING MOLD
While developing from an existing mold cavity was cost effective, it did create limitations as to where the design could be taken. It was important to our client to maintain the 12oz capacity and utilize the existing paper body & neck label. These constraints helped focus our creative efforts on the “shoulder” and “neck” of the glass bottle anatomy. We looked toward the fun care-free, brand language of SweetWater to influence and inspire the form development.
