General 5 — Steve Walsh

Stepping Into Overtone

When I joined Overtone Brewing I stepped into an already exciting brand with strong foundations but one that had become diluted by the sheer volume of constant releases. The fast pace of production meant designs were being pushed out quickly without a chance to reflect on the bigger picture.

My role was to help bring clarity back, to re-align the brand with its core values and selling points, and to highlight what made Overtone unique. Bold, vibrant beers inspired by the layered energy of sound and the culture of Glasgow.

Today, Overtone is known for pushing boundaries with innovative recipes and for crafting juicy, hop-forward beers that stand out in the UK and beyond.

Refining the Identity

Rather than reinventing the logo I focused on elevating what was already strong. The logo uses a bold heavy font with thick confident letterforms that give it a powerful presence.

It reflects Overtone’s values with its strength capturing the brand’s bold and passionate approach to craft beer. Alongside this we introduced the tagline “Amplified Beer” which ties back to the brand’s inspiration from music while clearly communicating what Overtone does producing bold vibrant high ABV beers.

Introducing Core Products

Previously Overtone focused almost entirely on limited releases. While this created excitement it was not a sustainable way to build a stable and recognisable brand. To address this I developed a product strategy and introduced a core range for the first time.

This foundation created a consistent presence in pubs and retail while still allowing space for limited releases to generate buzz. It strengthened the brand’s identity and set the stage for organising the different series and collections that would give Overtone a clear, structured product system.

Overtone Series & Collections

Creating a system to structure releases and clarify series identities while bringing Overtone’s bold musical energy into every beer.

I introduced a system to categorise each release, drawing inspiration from sounds that distort and enhance music and bringing that energy and creativity into every beer.

From The Looper Series, which revisits and refines past brews, to Emphasiser, which experiments with high ABV beers, each series connects back to the layered frequencies of sound. This structure created internal clarity, made it easier for consumers to navigate the range and strengthened the overall brand identity.

FREQUENCY

CORE RANGE COLLECTION
EQUALIZER

NEIPA COLLECTION
LOOPER

REBREW SERIES
EMPHASIER

HIGH ABV COLLECTION
FEATURE

COLLABORATION SERIES
NOTCH

ALC. FREE COLLECTION

Creating Visual Content and Managing Digital Channels

Mother Glasgow

A community-driven collaboration brewed in celebration of Glasgow’s 850th Anniversary.

With the product system in place and each series clearly defined I turned my focus to bringing Overtone’s identity to life visually. I produced all photography and video content, creating reels, campaigns and product imagery that highlighted new releases and told the brand story. These assets were used across Shopify, the website, social media and B2B/B2C mailers to maintain a consistent voice and vibrant presence across every touchpoint.

Brewing with Coffee

An experimental collaboration where we infused a bold New Zealand-style IPA with cold brewed Colombian coffee.

Resonator in Print

We documented the process of screen printing Resonator. Our first core beer.

Working with Overtone Brewing has been about reconnecting the brand with its core values while introducing systems that bring clarity and consistency. From developing a core range and structuring product strategy to refining packaging design and refreshing the website and producing all visual content I helped the brewery evolve into a cohesive brand that reflects its personality.

This case study shows how balancing creative vision with practical execution strengthened Overtone’s identity. By creating structure across products, series, visuals and digital channels the brand now clearly communicates its bold vibrant character at every touchpoint.