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Life to the Label
Joe Hoddinott adds his creative touch to beer cans
By Ken Mammarella
Joe Hoddinott notched a new way to judge success when fans started asking for his autograph.
Following his bachelor of fine arts degree in illustration and photography from the University of Delaware, the Newark resident worked for 20 years in illustration, fine art, design and photography.
Jess Lindenberg — first a model for his photography, later his “artistic muse” and life partner — a decade ago introduced him to the joys of craft beer. And then she saw that Newark’s Twisted Irons Craft Brewing Co. was looking for an artist to design beer cans.►
They were familiar with the brand. During the pandemic they attended Twisted Irons' outdoor beer events along with Hoddinott's brother, Jon, who worked down the street from the brewery.
He came to his May, 2022, interview with Twisted Irons cofounder Dave Markle with a concept sketch for Flyover State of Mind IPA and was hired on the spot.
He has so far created about 20 designs for Twisted Irons, which appear on cans, posters, stickers and T-shirts, with the merch sold only at the Twisted Irons brewery, 303 Ruthar Drive, Newark.
Fans sometimes reach out to see if he’s at the brewery or will visit to sign their purchases. “It’s pretty cool,” Hoddinott says. “Weird and moving.”
Hoddinott was trained at UD to emulate different styles and work in different media, and he has chosen a comic-book style that is done quickly, reprints well and translates easily to other media.
It all starts with a briefing from Markle and Twisted Irons co-founder Matt Found on each new brew, including the
