When Intertec Publishing Art Director Randall Schirz needed an image to depict the meeting of two corporate cultures, his idea of the classic 'Black and Tan' drink was a natural. The cover story for the November issue of Telecom Business dealt with the problems and opportunities that arise when two companies merge. The Black and Tan metaphor, with its distinctive layers of similar yet somehow different brews, was a simple and compelling visual to illustrate the concept.
Once the props had been found and the elusive chemistry of the drink itself deciphered, it was time to shoot film. To retain control of the lighting, the drink itself was shot in studio on a rented bar top. The pub background, shot earlier on location with a digital camera, was to be used in two ways: First, as an out of focus backdrop for the entire image and second as a small print set behind the glass to create the appropriate refracted image in the clear ale at the bottom of the glass.
Many glasses of ale and stout (the lower and upper components of a Black & Tan, respectively) were poured and photographed, then siphoned out and the process repeated until the perfect combination was shot on 4 x 5 color transparencies. The 'Merger Brewing Co.' logo, supplied as a laser print on white stock, was then photographed wrapped around the glass with water spritzed across it, using the same lighting and camera viewpoint.
All the films were then hi res drum scanned and carefully assembled into the pub background to create the final image seen here. The file was delivered in layers so that any last-minute changes could be easily made to accomodate cover copy and headline concerns.
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