El Jefe Energy Wins the Colored by INX Can Design Contest

El Jefe Energy: Sinister Razz was named champion of the seventh annual Colored by INX Can Design Contest after earning the highest combined score from both the judges and public voting. 

The brand owner’s energy drink design, submitted by manufacturing partner Can-One USA, secured a decisive victory during voting conducted from April 20-22 through INX’s social media channels.

Ryan Marsh is the co-founder and CEO of El Jefe Energy, an underground brand when it was launched in 2024, and a company known for wrapping each canned product in original artwork. 

That same year, Can-One USA opened a new 180,000 square-foot manufacturing and distribution facility in Nashua, NH. The metal decorator produces over two billion aluminum beverage cans annually and is the only aluminum can supplier based in New England.

“El Jefe Energy – Sinister Razz was created to feel more like art than traditional beverage packaging. The category has become filled with functional, cookie-cutter designs where everything starts to look the same,” said Nick Hanna, Head of Creative & Branding at Can-One USA. “Our goal was to break away from that completely and create something striking, intentional, and beautiful. The design leans into a darker, more refined visual world with strong iconography, roses, contrast, and a commanding central figure that reflects confidence, power, and presence. Every detail was meant to make the can feel premium, emotional, and instantly recognizable.”

After reviewing and testing samples, Hanna and his creative team selected and used five colors from the two-piece metal INX Color Catalog. 

Contest rules required using ink formulas from the catalog, the industry’s true color standard that jumpstarts and simplifies the design and production process, and helps products reach market shelves faster.

The winners will receive their engraved trophy next month and will be recognized with a feature article in a future issue of Color Perfection Magazine.

“This year we received an extraordinary number of submissions, with nearly twice as many cans entered as in previous years. This level of participation brought real energy to the contest and showcased an impressive range of creativity and design excellence across the field,” said Jeanie Morris, INX marketing and promotions manager who runs the contest.

Morris added that the winners will be receiving their engraved trophy next month and will be recognized with a feature article in a future issue of Color Perfection Magazine.

The 2027 contest will begin in January.