Your label has about two seconds to do its job on a crowded shelf. These five studios build brands that make those two seconds count.
The state of food and drink design
Walk down any grocery aisle and you'll see the same problem repeated a hundred times: packaging that looks nice but doesn't sell. Food and drink makers are competing for a glance, and the studios that win are the ones designing for the shelf, not the portfolio. The category has split into two camps. On one side are generalist agencies that treat a can like any other logo project. On the other are specialists who understand printer checks, dielines, and the fact that a brewery's taproom and its distributor need different things from the same brand. You'll also notice geography matters less than it used to. A four-person studio in Asheville can serve a roaster in Oregon just as easily as a bakery down the street, especially when they host the sites they build. What hasn't changed is the core job: make the product get picked up, then make the brand worth coming back to.
How we looked at these studios
We evaluated every studio on the same four factors. First, service scope: can they handle identity, packaging, and web under one roof, or do you need to stitch together three vendors? Second, print and production fluency: do they talk about printer checks, dielines, and shelf reality, or just aesthetics? Third, industry fit: how deep is their roster of breweries, roasters, bakeries, restaurants, and farms? Fourth, clarity of engagement: is it obvious how to start, who you'll talk to, and what you'll get? Good Fortune Design Studio stood out for its narrow food-and-drink focus and its build-and-host web offer. Atlas Branding impressed with a broad in-house team spanning photography and interior design. Hoot Design Studio brings award-winning illustration depth to beverage labels. Fried Design Co. frames its work around sell-through and owning a lane. Works Design Group pairs packaging with lifestyle photography for distilleries and breweries.
Here's a quick side-by-side of the five studios, what they're known for, and who each one fits. Use this as a starting point, then dig into the details below.
| Provider | Best For |
|---|---|
| Atlas Branding + Packaging Design | Brands that want one full-service partner for packaging, web, and photography |
| Home – Good Fortune Design Studio | Small food and drink producers who want design plus a hosted website |
| Hoot Design Studio | Craft beverage brands that want custom illustration on their labels |
| Fried Design Co. | Brands in crowded categories that need a distinct shelf presence |
| Works Design Group | Distilleries and breweries that need packaging plus strong product photography |
The five studios, one by one
#1 Atlas Branding + Packaging Design
Atlas is the biggest operation on this list, and it shows in the breadth of work. Their craft beverage portfolio runs from Moonglade Soda to Iron Shoe Distillery to Ginger's Revenge, and they've built a full in-house team covering branding, packaging, product photography, interior design, and WordPress plus Shopify builds. That means a brewery can get its cans, its taproom, and its online store handled by people who already know the brand. They're based in Asheville and work heavily across restaurants, hospitality, CPG food, and retail. If you want one partner for everything visual, this is the deepest bench you'll find. See their craft beverage work for the range.
#2 Home – Good Fortune Design Studio
A screenshot of the Home – Good Fortune Design Studio website.
Good Fortune is a four-person studio in Asheville that has been doing brand, packaging, and web design for food and drink makers since 2015. Their focus is unusually tight: breweries, roasters, bakeries, restaurants, and the farms behind them. That narrowness pays off in the details. They talk about labels that pass the printer's checks, not just labels that look good on a mockup. They also build and host small websites themselves, which means you're not handing your site off to a third party after the design is done. For a small producer who wants a designer who already speaks the language of packaging specs and taproom menus, this is a natural fit. Reach them at hello@goodfortunedesignstudio.com.
#3 Hoot Design Studio
A screenshot of the Hoot Design Studio website.
Hoot leans hard into illustration, and in craft beer that's a real advantage. The studio describes itself as an award-winning illustration shop and an expert in the craft beer industry, with a focus on beverage and food packaging. If your brand needs custom hand-drawn art rather than a clean typographic system, this is the specialist to call. They're explicit that label design is an investment, not a sticker you slap on at the end, and their work is built to make someone thirsty before they've read a word. The tradeoff is scope: this is a focused design and illustration practice rather than a full agency. For a brewery or food brand that wants its cans to feel handcrafted, that focus is the point.
#4 Fried Design Co.
A screenshot of the Fried Design Co. website.
Fried frames everything around the shelf. Their food and beverage page opens with the blunt truth that a shopper decides in seconds, and their whole pitch is built on winning that glance. They push clients to own a lane nobody else has claimed rather than blending into a sea of sameness, and they treat sell-through as the only review that counts. The portfolio backs it up with Shipwreck Soda, Bulltown Brewing, and Alchemy Cider Company. They also think beyond the can, building the voice and story around the package so a first grab turns into a repeat purchase. If you're tired of packaging that looks pretty but doesn't move units, their positioning will resonate. See their food and beverage approach.
#5 Works Design Group
Works Design Group brings a photography-forward approach to distillery and craft brewing work. Their portfolio includes Finger Lakes Distilling, Lucky Hare Brewing, and Hamburg Brewing Company, with services spanning package design, logo and brand design, and product and lifestyle photography. That combination matters for beverage brands, because the same imagery that sells a bottle online often needs to work in a taproom or a print ad. They treat every bottle and can as a canvas and talk openly about setting the tone for taste before someone pours a glass. The result is a studio that can carry a brand from label to lifestyle shoot without losing consistency. Their distillery and brewing page lays out the full service mix.
How to pick the right studio for your brand
Start with scope. If you need packaging, a website, and photography from one team, Atlas and Works Design Group have the widest in-house bench. If you mainly need a label that stands out and a site that works, Good Fortune's build-and-host model keeps things simple. Next, think about style. Hoot is the call if you want custom illustration. Fried is the call if you want a strategic angle on a crowded shelf. Then ask about production. Any studio worth hiring should be comfortable talking about printer checks, dielines, and how the design holds up in the real world, not just on a screen. Finally, check the roster. A studio that already works with breweries, roasters, and farms will spend less time learning your business and more time making it look good. Ask for two references in your exact category and call them.
Where automation fits into your design workflow
You don't need to automate the creative work, but you can automate the busywork around it. Set up a shared intake form so new packaging requests land in one place with specs, deadlines, and dieline files attached. Use a project board with templated stages for concept, revision, printer check, and final files, so nothing stalls between you and the studio. Keep a single asset library for approved logos, color codes, and label copy, and give your designer access so they're not chasing files. Automate approval reminders before print deadlines, because a missed printer check costs more than any software subscription. And route all client-facing proofs through one review link so feedback doesn't scatter across email threads. The goal is simple: less admin, more time on the label.
The bottom line
The right studio depends on what you're actually trying to fix. If your shelf presence is the problem, Fried and Hoot bring sharp strategic and illustrative firepower. If your whole brand system needs a rebuild, Atlas and Works Design Group offer the widest range of services under one roof. And if you're a small food or drink maker who wants a focused partner for packaging and a website you don't have to babysit, Good Fortune Design Studio's narrow specialty and build-and-host model are hard to beat. Whichever you choose, ask about print production early. The label that wins is the one that survives the printer and the shelf.