North Drinkware
Matt Capozzi and I go way back. To 2002 when I started working at Cinco Design Office. He was working at Gravis in Burlington and would guide me on catalog, advertising and package designs. Then he hopped to Nixon, and we were on the phone daily working up the same sorts of marketing projects , along with all those amazing watch designs too!
When Matt went on his own with North Drinkware I was so proud. He’d been making amazing things for years for big companies, then put a laser focus on his making his own stuff. He built a great team and they make beautiful products each day, after the runs are tracked-out up at Mt. Bachelor!
We caught up in 2022 and did this collab to awesome results! From the glass to the mountains to the packaging...ALL INCREDIBLE!
Hell yeah, Capozzi!
North Drinkware “Thick Lines”
Tumbler & Pint Glass
Project Details:
01. Glass base and packaging design for outdoor-inspired glassware company.
02. As directed by Matt Capozzi and Nick Ramirez.
03. Thick lines!
04. 2022.
The “Thick Lines Tumbler” by North Drinkware.
The “Thick Lines Pint” by North Drinkware.
Look at that lineup! Bottoms up!
Who says it has to be a beer? Orange Faygo, baby!
The “Thick Lines Box Set” from North Drinkware! The whole enchilada!
Inspection Day at the Glass Blowing Foundry
“A Few Words with Aaron Draplin”
From the northdrinkware.com article on their site.
What do the mountains mean to you?
Without getting too romantic, there’s just something that will be forever aspirational about mountains and what they represent to me. I’m from the flat Midwest, and heading West at 19 came with its own weird challenges. Shit like being SCARED AS HELL going over some sketchy pass in a Buick Skyhawk. Skin-thickening stuff. As rat snowboarders, our main goal was to get to, and ride in the mountains. It felt improbable. All that work and saving to get there, and always knowing they could bite back. The whole experience was exhilarating. I’m so thankful for my five winters shredding at Mt. Bachelor—and the Wild West at large—in those mid-’90s. I miss all my old buddies and cherish the wild times we had!
What is the Crux of designing a good icon or logo?
Scalability. Does it work in the smallest application, say on your Instagram avatar? Cuz it needs to. That’s where we are seeing the stuff the most. More and more, we’re shrinking our stuff down. And legibility and impact gets lost. The most effective logos hold at all sizes.
What is your favorite beverage?
Ice cold water! I drink 3-4 Nalgene bottles of the stuff daily. And be careful coming to the DDC, you just never know when you’ll catch me “saving a flush” alongside the shop. I have a little Tuff Shed, and it sits precisely one unit of “Aaron Draplin Width” away from the shop. I sneak back there to be one with the natural world around me. A good strong stream!