New Belgium Brewing

Creative direction and experiential campaign design supporting New Belgium Brewing's expansion into New York City.

The launch introduced the Colorado-based brewery to one of the world's most influential cultural markets through a citywide campaign that combined localized storytelling, custom design systems, and street-level engagement. Rather than relying on traditional advertising alone, the project created authentic points of connection between the brand and New York's neighborhoods, communities, and creative culture.

The campaign translated New Belgium's values into a distinctly New York experience.

A custom launch typeface was developed to bridge the brand's Colorado heritage with the visual language of New York City. Experiential activations, custom merchandise, and guerrilla marketing tactics worked together as a cohesive identity system—building recognition through participation rather than interruption.

The campaign included Samurai Messengers delivering invitations by hand, citywide sticker and ready-made installations, and custom-designed merchandise distributed across all five boroughs to generate conversation and encourage organic discovery.

The launch established an immediate street-level presence throughout New York City.

More than 6,000 custom-designed shirts were distributed during the initial campaign, transforming participants into brand ambassadors and extending the campaign beyond events into everyday life.

By combining typography, experience design, merchandise, and community activation, the project demonstrated how thoughtful creative direction can introduce a national brand to a new audience while maintaining authenticity and local relevance.