Microbrewery BrewDog has chosen an art student to design its new black lager Zeitgeist.

The brewer launched a competition to find a designer for its new brand which saw Heather Brennan chosen by the company’s managing director James Watt.

The 21-year-old Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art student has already had an art exhibition in London on the back of her beer designs and may now be set for similar abroad as the beer launches country by country.

Brennan said: “When I heard about Zeitgeist, I felt it would be a great opportunity to work to a live brief. It's a very different project from anything I had done before. We are urged to stay away from punk or alternative styles, so I felt that this was a real chance to express myself in a new way.”

Brennan continued to explain: “My ideas for the work came from looking at what Zeitgeist means in contemporary times from an alternative view. The label represents conformity in today's society, as people follow the higher authority.

“This sparked my interest in military line-ups and the repressing of their identity in masks and uniform. I've tried to emulate this with sheep masks, yet underneath the body shapes reveal personality underneath.

“My influences were from a variety of sources for this project, from artists work, such as Alex Pardee's linework and Ralph Steadmans' use of ink, to films like as Metropolis and 1984, anything set in a dystopian landscape.”

Brennan’s work has also influenced the Zeitgeist website and the Twitter feed for the brand.