Graphis International Awards & Publications

Pop Goes the Beer Can

GraphisAugust 13, 2025

When Collective Arts Brewing handed over their can as a blank canvas, it wasn’t just an invitation to design—it was a challenge to reimagine perception itself. In reinterpreting the Jam Up the Mash Sour Ale can, Juan Carlos Pagan of Sunday Afternoon drew inspiration from the kinetic rhythms of Op Art, using its hypnotic geometry to explore movement, instability, and emotional tension within a rigid cylindrical form. The result? A can that doesn’t just hold beer—it holds your gaze. This piece blurs the line between object and experience—between function and visual poetry.

By: Juan Carlos Pagan, Designer, Sunday Afternoon

When Collective Arts Brewing invited me to use their can as a blank canvas, I saw more than just an opportunity to design packaging. I saw an invitation to explore perception, tension, and movement within a cylindrical form.

I’ve long been captivated by the visual phenomena explored in op art. I’ve introduced elements of Op Art into my work over the past few years. There’s something both rigorous and poetic about the way a static form can feel alive, and how precise geometry can evoke a sense of motion, even emotion. With Jam Up the Mash sour ale can serving as a canvas, I wanted to harness those principles and allow the artwork to breathe with the user’s interaction.

The design is composed entirely of red and white vertical stripes that warp and bend around the can. At first glance, it’s simple. But as you rotate it, the pattern begins to shift and shimmer, almost vibrating. There’s an illusion of pressure, of slipping, just restrained enough to stay upright. That subtle play on instability is, for me, at the heart of what makes this piece engaging. It rewards close looking and a twist of the wrist.

The challenge was to create something visually arresting while honoring the function of the object. I deliberately reduced the palette to heighten contrast and amplify the optical effect. Typography was removed, allowing the artwork to assert itself without interruption. The form became the message.

Working within the limitations of a beverage can was part of the appeal. Constraints often yield clarity. This wasn’t just about decoration; it was about creating an experience, however brief, that invites pause and delight.

With this work, I hoped to have transformed a familiar object into something a bit more unexpected—something that doesn’t just hold liquid, but holds your gaze.

Juan Carlos Pagan (Sunday Afternoon) is a multidisciplinary artist, designer, and typographer from New York. Juan has created work for clients including NPR, Pinterest, Cîroc, Under Armour, Nike, Google, Apple, Disney, New York Lottery, Jump Bikes, and YouTube. He has also designed cover art for publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Rolling Stone magazine, and Variety magazine.

Juan has been recognized for his work by the Type Directors Club, the Art Directors Club, The One Show, Communication Arts, Graphis, Cannes Lions, Clios, D&AD, AICP, 4A’s, AdColor, and Print magazine, among others. In 2013, Juan received the Art Directors Club Young Gun Award, which recognizes vanguard creatives under the age of 30. That same year, he was nominated for Print magazine’s “New Visual Artist 20 Under 30” and was named at the top of Adweek’s Talent 100.

In 2018, Juan received the Type Directors Club Ascenders Award, which recognizes designers who are 35 years of age and under for their remarkable achievement in design and typography. In 2017, Juan co-founded Sunday Afternoon, a hybrid design studio and artist management agency. Juan holds a BFA from Parsons School of Design and completed his postgraduate studies in typeface design at the Cooper Union.