Tripping Animals Tin Tackers: How a Doral Brewery Put Its Characters on the Wall

Updated November 2026 by Brad Lugar

Quick answer: The Tripping Animals tin tackers are embossed aluminum bar signs Steel City Tap Co. made for Tripping Animals Brewing Co. of Doral, Florida, cut to the outline of the brewery's characters: an alligator for Ever Haze, a chihuahua for No Mames, and the heavy-lidded eye from the logo. Every sign carries its own beer's palette, and the same eye, the same gold script, and a thread of warm gold tie the set together as one brand.

Tripping Animals sells its beer with characters. When co-founder Ignacio Montenegro wanted them on bar and taproom walls, we turned four into tin tackers, three of them cut to the outline of the art. Here is how the job went from a phone call to finished signs, and why the whole set reads as one brewery.

What did Tripping Animals ask for?

Four designs: the Tripping Animals eye logo, a mushroom on a circle, Ever Haze, and No Mames. We talked through sizes on the first call in December 2022, and Ignacio sent the art within the hour. The art did the selling. Brad's reply ended with three words: love the art.

Why does a custom shape tin tacker need vector art?

Because the cut line follows the art. A die cut tin tacker is cut along a path traced around the outline of the design, so the file has to be vector: .ai, .eps, or a vectorized PDF. We asked for Illustrator files, and the Tripping Animals team sent them the same afternoon. Mid-quote, Ignacio refreshed the eye logo, and the new file went into proofing before a single sign was made.

How were the tin tackers quoted?

Every design was priced on its own. The mushroom ran on a stock circle, so it carried no setup fee. Ever Haze, No Mames, and the eye were each cut to their own outline, so each one carried a one-time setup fee for the cut. The quote showed the price per piece for every sign. That is still how custom shape tin tackers work: quoted per job, plus a one-time setup fee.

What does a tin tacker proof show?

The proof shows the sign the way it will run: the art, the cut line around it, the colors, and what gets embossed. The first three proofs went out on December 20, and Ignacio approved all of them the next morning. The updated eye proof followed on December 22. He approved it three minutes after it hit his inbox.

How long did production take?

Ignacio paid on December 27, and all four designs were in production the first week of January. Embossed tin tackers run about six weeks after the proof is approved, so work backward from the date the signs need to be on the wall.

That spring we asked Ignacio how they turned out. His answer: "They look great! Thank you so much."

What do the signs look like on the wall?

Here is the crew: the Limonada Rosada flamingo, the Ever Haze alligator, the No Mames chihuahua, and the eye logo on a circle. Every one started as a piece of art from the brewery, and every one is printed in its own beer's colors.

Why do four different signs read as one brand?

Because Tripping Animals built the art as a family, and the signs follow it. Every beer gets its own character and its own palette, so no two signs look alike. Three things carry across all of them, and that is what makes the set read as one brewery from across the bar.

The same eye

Left to right: Limonada Rosada, Ever Haze, No Mames, and the logo.

The flamingo, the alligator, and the chihuahua all carry the logo's heavy-lidded yellow eye. That one detail makes four different signs read as one brewery from across the room.

The same script

Top to bottom: Limonada Rosada, Ever Haze, No Mames.

The Tripping Animals script runs gold on every beer sign. Only the outline changes with the beer: raspberry on Limonada Rosada, dark brown on Ever Haze, brick red on No Mames.

A thread of gold

Each beer gets its own palette, and the same warm gold ties them together: the eyes, the script, the lemonade, and the logo.

Build the art as a family and the wall reads as a family. Every sign stands on its own, and together they still read as Tripping Animals from across the room. See the beers and find the taprooms in Doral and Oakland Park at trippinganimals.com.

Want your characters on the wall?

Send the art for a custom shape tin tacker as an .ai, .eps, or vectorized PDF, tell us the size and the quantity, and we will quote the cut. Stock shapes like circle signs are priced right on the site, with setup included, and the full lineup lives on the tin tackers page.

Frequently asked questions

What is a die cut tin tacker?

A die cut tin tacker is an embossed aluminum bar sign cut to the outline of the art instead of a stock circle or rectangle. The Ever Haze alligator and the No Mames chihuahua are both die cut.

How do you make a set of tin tackers look like one brand?

Keep one or two things the same on every design, like a logo mark, a script, or a shared color, and let each beer's character and palette change. Tripping Animals carries the same eye, the same gold script, and a thread of warm gold across every sign.

What file format does a custom tin tacker need?

Vector art: .ai, .eps, or a vectorized PDF. The cut line follows the vector outline of the design.

Do custom shape tin tackers cost more than stock shapes?

Custom shapes carry a one-time setup fee for the cut, quoted with the job. Stock shapes have setup built into the price per piece.

How long do custom tin tackers take?

Proofs come back in 2 to 3 business days. Production runs about six weeks after the proof is approved.