If you’ve been keeping up with the new work I’ve been posting, you may have seen my Virginia Distillery Co. - Courage and Conviction Launch Campaign case study. I wanted to share the initial artwork that turned into the final work, as I think it still has some merit, despite it having a slightly different vibe.

The initial concept was centered around the consumer, defined as late-30s / early-40s successful types with a penchant for taking on what are considered ‘upscale’ hobbies, IE playing piano, yachting, etc. The angle here was to present Courage & Conviction as a refined product to pair with these hobbies, a special single malt whisky you broke out to celebrate big personal goals. This look was softer, quieter, more customer-focused approach compared to the final campaign, which focused more on the rugged American spirit and craft that went into creating the whiskey.

VH Beer was a project in two parts; the first, branding the Denver-based brewery and designing its line of cans, the second, figuring out how to get the word out there in a way that was befitting of the new brand. Below is one of what we call ‘hero concepts’ I developed to set the tone of voice and visual language for the other advertising creative to be derived from. To see the full case study, check it out on Vigor’s website.

Inspired by the tagline we had developed during the branding process, I interpreted ‘easy to drink, hard to forget’ in a surreal collage, blending together all the scenes from across the can art into one mesmerizing dreamscape, blasting out from a customer’s cranium as soon as they take a sip.

This early iteration was developed further into what you see on Vigor’s case study, swapping out the customer photo for one of the beer and putting emphasis on the parent brand vs. the line of beer.