Sit back and relax – this one’s on us! The Fall Hot Box is here, and you’re going to want to grab a cold one for this. Introducing…drumroll please…the NorthPoint Brewery Hot Box!

This brewery inspired kit is absolutely perfect for the crisp sunny days of Fall, whether that means chillin’ at your local brewery or sitting around the campfire with a group of friends and a drink in hand.  Fully stocked with everything you’ll need to have a good time, this Hot Box is one you won’t want to miss out on!

The NorthPoint Brewery Hot Box is packed with some of the hottest brewery and beer themed products of the season, but they can truly be used year-round.  Check out the sneak peak below of what you can expect to find inside your Hot Box below:

Description: This Sour Ale smacks your taste buds with some delicious style.  It packs a creative punch with a bright pop of tart colors.

Hoppy Poppy Can Holder IPA

Available Colors: Black, White

Price Point: $5.82 - $5.98

Description: This Hoppy Can Holder gets its name because of the robust non-slip grip that it provides for your beverage.  It pushes the boundaries with some serious “stand out from the crowd” hops and aromatic design, making it a real crowd pleaser.

Timber Tumble Tower Double IPA

Available Colors: Wood

Price Point: $14.98- $18.88

Description: This Double IPA isn’t for bland or boring beer drinkers.  Brewed with twice the hops and BOLD fun, it’s perfect for your indoor OR outdoor events.

Gimme More Gameday Shandy Cup (Seasonal)

Available Colors: Black, Blue, Navy, Neon Green, Orange, Red, White

Price Point: $2.09 - $2.49

Description: This Shandy Cup has an epically refreshing, thirst quenching, and standard solo cup design that makes it a “MUST HAVE” at all events.  Everyone reaches for it, BUT it’s seasonal, so keep your zesty eye open for these.

The Boston Lager Bottle Opener

Available Colors: Black, Brown

Price Point: $2.25 - $3.94

Description: We love a cold malt-blended classic, and the lager bottle is exactly that. It goes perfect with any summer get-together and carries a bold deep amber flavor.

The Gatekeeper Growler Porter

Available Colors: Black, Silver

Price Point: $17.75 - $19.50

Description: This Porter is rich in flavorful and spacious volume for our beer lovers.  Holding a hefty 64 ounces, it keeps your coffee-like malty beverage cold and flavorful for hours.

Crowned King Corkcicle Belgian White

Available Colors: Black, White

Price Point: $31.42 - $36.37

Description: Our Belgian White has proven to stand the test of time with its deeply rooted and elegant design.  Brewed with orange peel, stainless steel, and a core cooling base, it is quite simply creating for drinking in the sunshine.

 

Price Point: Varies for each piece

Production Time: 5-7 Business Days

Available Colors: Varies for each piece

Perfect For: Employee Appreciation Gifts / Client Appreciation Gifts/ / Corporate Swag Store / Travel Items / Tradeshow Items / Internal Swag / Holiday Swag

With popularity naturally comes higher competition.  Animating your logo can be the key factor to stepping up your branding game and creating a brand that stands out from others, simply with the addition of movement! Movement in design can grab the eye of a passerby and keep your audience interested. So what do you say, let’s animate some logos!

Adobe AfterEffects is a great program to use for animation, and while this is where the majority of your animating will take place, Adobe Illustrator is where you’ll go to initially design your logo (so that your source file can be in vector format when you transfer it to AfterEffects!). 

Check out these 5 steps to help you get started with your logo animation: 

1. Create your logo file

As mentioned, your logo should be designed in Illustrator to have a vector file that can be more easily used in AfterEffects when working with shape layers later on. Instead of setting up your logo as one object on one layer in Illustrator, put each element of your logo onto its own layer.  This will allow you to create your animation more easily by being able to animate each separate layer!  Export your logo as a vector file (.ai, .eps, .pdf, or .svg), and open Adobe AfterEffects.

2. Import your logo into AfterEffects as Footage

In your AfterEffects program, simply drag and drop your logo file into the Project panel OR go to File > Import > File, and click import the media as Composition – Retain Layer Sizes in the dialogue box that pops up.

3. Set up a composition

Your composition is the broad container that consists of a group of media files that can then be added to your timeline and edited/animated.  To start a new composition, click New Composition in the middle of your comp window, and adjust the document size and length as needed. To create a solid background for your animation, right click in the comp panel and select New > Solid, and choose your color. Then you can drag your logo file from the project panel into the timeline panel to be able to see your logo displayed in the comp window in the center. 

4. Use keyframes to animate each layer in your timeline

Keyframes are essentially markers that are placed along your timeline to signify the start and end point of an effect or transition.  There are a number of attributes under the Transform Panel that allow for animation possibilities, including position, scale, opacity, and rotation.

To add keyframes to your layers, select the layer in the Timeline, and place your playhead on the frame you want the animation to finish, then press the keyframe symbol to add a keyframe to that point. You can then create a start frame at any point beforehand in your timeline, adding a keyframe as you did with the end point.

For example, if you wanted to rotate your logo in a circle, add an end keyframe (say at 3 seconds) under Rotation in the Transform Panel and adjust the rotation to 360 degrees.  Then move backwards and create a start keyframe at the beginning of your composition and set the rotation to 0 degrees.  You’ll then see when played that your logo will rotate 360 degrees from start to finish of your 3 second animation. 

There is also a large library of AfterEffects presets that can be used to quickly animate (These can be found in the Effects & Presets panel on the right of your window).  To select a preset, drag it from the panel to your logo file in the timeline and set up keyframes to signify the start and end point of the effect.  You can also further adjust the details of your effect preset in the Effect Controls panel that pops up!

Tip: When it comes to logo animation, creating the end keyframes first ensures that all layers of your logo will come together to the right place and scale as they were intended by the end of your animation!

5.  Export you animation

When you’re happy with your final animation, go to File > Export > Add to Adobe Media Encoder queue.  The default file setup is mp4, which is perfect for your video animation.  However, you can also easily export as a GIF by changing the file format in the Media Encoder window dropdown under the format column to Animated GIF.  Select your destination folder, and click the green play button to start rendering your animation!

Adobe AfterEffects and animation can be seen as an overwhelming feat to take on, but with the help of these basic steps, as well as through the trial and error that comes with experimenting with different effects, creating an animation with your logo is an undeniable way to bring a spark of energy and excitement to your brand.  Try it out for yourself, and add your new logo animation online, to your social media, website, or even to an advertisement!