Problem

For its inaugural year, Detroit Bourbon & Blues Festival needed a distinct brand identity and promotional strategy that would resonate with both bourbon enthusiasts and the broader Detroit community. The challenge: to design a tone that was rustic and kitschy while still feeling lively, inviting, and capable of driving ticket sales.

Solution

We delivered a brand and social strategy system that honored Detroit’s musical and cultural heritage while building excitement for a first-year festival. From visuals to messaging, every element was designed to feel vibrant and welcoming, while providing the marketing infrastructure to raise awareness, sell tickets, and establish Bourbon & Blues as a new tradition in Detroit.

Brand Development

We created a full brand positioning and messaging framework, pairing Detroit’s blues and bourbon legacy with Rich Zemola’s vision for community connection. A new logo, color palette, typography, and supporting design elements captured the inviting yet rustic spirit of the festival, giving it an identity strong enough to grow year after year.

Design

We expanded the brand into a complete design system that brought the festival’s identity to life across every touchpoint. From custom merchandise and tasting accessories to a step-and-repeat photo backdrop, flyers, event maps, signage, and social media templates, each piece reinforced the festival’s warm, rustic aesthetic. The result was a cohesive visual language that carried seamlessly from digital to on-site, creating an experience that felt unified, elevated, and unmistakably Detroit.

Brand Photoshoot

We directed brand and event photography with our collaborator Sidd Finch, Humans & Co. (humansandco.co) to showcase the experience from whiskey pours, to live blues acts, community energy, and Eastern Market’s historic backdrop. These assets equipped the festival with a versatile library to fuel both social promotion and press coverage.

Web Design + Development

We designed and launched a custom multi-page Wix website that streamlined event details, ticket sales, and brand storytelling. The site balanced rustic design cues with easy navigation to support both discovery and conversion.

Digital Marketing

We executed a multi-channel social media strategy, supported by custom templates and on-site content creation. By blending promotional storytelling with community-driven posts, we built awareness leading up to the inaugural event and established the tone for ongoing annual campaigns.

Project Notes

Detroit Bourbon & Blues Festival reinforced how tone-setting is everything for a first-year event. By combining rustic design with lively storytelling, we learned how to build anticipation and credibility from scratch, ensuring the launch resonated with both bourbon fans and the broader Detroit community.