At Equity, we love collaborating with our community, and especially with the wonderful and talented artists of Oklahoma! Meet Aditi Heins, OKC based graphics and hand lettering designer, who has created four new labels for our beer cans. Read on to learn a little more about Aditi, and see our amazingly cool Equity labels! Thank you Aditi for working with us on this project!!
Would you give a brief background on yourself and your design work?
I moved to the U.S. almost 12 years ago, and started my life afresh after losing my mother to cancer. I was always interested in art, and after hearing about the UCO Design program, I decided to pursue a Bachelor's in Fine Art - Graphic Design. After graduating, I found myself bouncing from advertising agencies as an intern and eventually landing at Hobby Lobby HQ as a Creative Coordinator/Art Director. I also started working on freelance after I graduated and even that grew from designing promotional materials and logos to painting murals for local businesses. In 2016, I started the 365 days of type challenge - a daily hand lettering exercise that I promoted on social media. Daily practice and an evolving interest led me into the world of hand lettering. I not only finished the 365 days of type challenge, but also went on to create hand lettered graphics for local businesses in terns of Magazine spreads, murals, custom prints and packaging.
What made you interested in design originally? I was always the kid that got in trouble for drawing when I was supposed to be working on homework. As a shy kid, art was a natural escape and outlet for me. I would say design made it's way into my life when I took a fashion design diploma course in India, which involved problem solving with fabric and silhouettes. When I moved to the US however, I found myself less interested in American fashion, and more so in creating digital artwork and designs. Even my favorite Art Movement in Art history class was Pop art, which experimented with illustration, print techniques and bright colors.
What is your overall mission for your design work? My overall mission for my design work is to invoke feelings of joy in the person that interacts with it. I started hand lettering because it was so accessible. All you really needed was some pens, colored markers and paper. I thought I'd be able to share my passion for it if I started teaching it to adults and kids alike. In 2018, I was given the honor of teaching lettering, calligraphy and cursive to over 20 kids at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York City. This program really brought home the "why" behind Design and Lettering for me. What inspired you when creating these four labels for Equity?
When Suzette and I chatted over the phone, her excitement for the flavors she was wanting to brew and sell told me how passionate she was about them. I did a lot of research for the four different labels, and wanted to make sure they would work independently as well as next to each other on the shelves. Something I really love about Equity Brewing Co. is how bright and inviting the brewery feels. I strived to encompass the same feelings in the beer labels. Each label boasts of a different art stye, but they all share the same message - Connection and Unity. From the icons representing feminism and rebellion on the "S.M.A.S.H. the System" to the koi fish in the lotus pond on the "Persistence Pale Ale" that represent perseverance, they all work in harmony.
What do you want people to know about Equity when they see our labels? I want them to know that just like their labels, Equity gives back to the community and is not afraid to disrupt the status quo. Being Oklahoma's only all women-owned brewery, Equity welcomes everyone in with open arms and wants to get to know you over a delicious beer. What was your favorite part of designing these labels? I'd say playing a part in a unique women-owned brewery's growth in the community by lending my artistic skills was my favorite part.
What does the future look like for you in terms of your design work and career?
I'd love to be able to freelance full-time someday, and be able to help small businesses more through design. Also as a new member of Equity Trust, my goal is to create a safe space for women and LGBTQ people in my city.
We hope you love these new labels as much as we do!!! Be sure to check out Aditi's design work on her website here.
