Client: Miller Lite

Project: Grilling Merch & Holiday Knitwear concepts

Background: We’re always designing merch and merch inspiration. Some of this work is purely conceptual, some of it is in the process of production.

Creative Director: Tyler Brooks

Role: Senior Designer

Contribution: Everything, with oversight from my CD, Tyler Brooks.

 

Grilling Platform – Merch

The Ad Agency’s original work

Originally we were tasked with just creating static KVs for the new grilling platform, but when we saw the merchandise work the ad agency Miller hired had done, we felt there was a lot that could be improved. Merchandise should feel covetable, not like a billboard. Also, white is a bad color for a grilling apron, unless you’re trying to show off grease stains.

This 6-Pack apron & Essentials apron are more useful and understated.

We loved this beer press idea, but felt like we could add some more tools with more overt branding to complete the package.

Challenging them to be more playful and unexpected and to use merch as opportunities to create an expanded Grilling world.

 

Holiday Knitwear

We were asked to create a line of knitwear that played on the trope of the “ugly sweater,” but didn’t skew heavily into holiday so it could be worn all winter. For the mainline sweater we leaned into the meta theme of knit and a traditional Faire Isle pattern, that evokes holiday without screaming it. We were also asked to come up with knit/knit-inspired merch for hot weather markets, who experience November – March in warmer climates.

For warm weather markets we thought, hey why not just rip off the sleeve of the main sweater and call it a day ;)

Cabana shirt – Another warm weather option that could work for climates where its too hot for even a sweater vest. Left: PSD mock-up of materiality. Right: Vector artwork.

We wanted to take the idea of “ugly” and use it in delightful, and innovative ways.

My favorite result of this is this Foaming Beer Beanie. Taking the idea of a pom-pom beanie and expanding that pom-pom to create a "foaming” effect all over the beanie.

When Miller’s procurement team said they could manufacture it, which I wasn’t expecting, I was beyond delighted.

A trucker hat was specifically requested for warm weather markets. I tried a range of ultra holiday to podium inspired subtly and the more neutral holiday theme of beer bells.