Workshop Brewing Co. Case Study
How a Traverse City Brewpub Increased Revenue 21% Through Brand Strategy, Website Design, and Integrated Marketing
Marketing Investment
Months
Revenue Growth
Return on Investment
Marketing Investment
Months
Revenue Growth
Return on Investment
WORKSHOP BREWING CO.
The Challenge:
As a local craft brewery and brewpub in Traverse City, Workshop Brewing Company is built on a foundation of nature, community, and craft. As the business matured, the owner found himself increasingly responsible for managing marketing efforts internally—pulling focus away from operations and long-term growth.
Workshop Brewing Co. partnered with Hardy Design Co. to reduce the internal burden of marketing while driving meaningful, measurable revenue growth. Together, we established a clear performance benchmark: outperform the brewery’s existing year-over-year growth by at least 5%, using a defined marketing investment and an integrated brand strategy.
Research & Insight:
Our discovery process revealed that Workshop’s brand messaging—and how it was being expressed across marketing channels—was quietly limiting its growth potential. To validate this, we conducted in-market research alongside a SWOT and competitive analysis, including interviews with key staff members, patron questionnaires (offered in exchange for “penny beers”), and secret shopping across comparable brewpubs.
The research surfaced a critical insight: while Workshop’s messaging was bold and opinionated, it leaned too heavily into a revolutionary tone that unintentionally polarized portions of its audience. This created friction for first-time visitors and limited broader appeal—particularly among tourists discovering the brewery during peak travel months.
Workshop serves two primary audiences: the year-round local community of Traverse City and seasonal visitors drawn to the area in summer. To support sustainable growth, the brand needed messaging that resonated with both groups—welcoming and inclusive, yet still authentic to the brewery’s personality and edge.
Services Delivered
Brand Strategy
Creative Services
- Website Design
- Advertising Campaigns
- Print & Menu Design
- Signage & Environmental Graphics
- On-Site Photography
Fractional CMO Support
Project Results
Goal: Increase revenue 5% above the previous year’s 10% growth, utilizing a $50,000 marketing budget.
Result: A 21% increase in revenue—11% above the previous year’s growth—resulting in approximately $330,000 in additional sales over 12 months.
Brand Strategy
Expanding Appeal Without Losing Edge
Reframing the Brand Story
Our role was to evolve Workshop Brewing Co.’s brand positioning without diluting what made it distinctive. Using our brand strategy process, we clarified the brewery’s deeper value proposition: a gathering place for all people—locals and visitors alike—grounded in craft, community, and shared experience.
The resulting strategy reframed Workshop’s messaging to feel more open and inviting, while preserving the blunt humor and confidence the owner valued. This strategic foundation became the guiding force behind every creative decision that followed, ensuring consistency across digital, print, advertising, and in-store experiences.
Brand Book
To translate the strategy into a usable system, we created a comprehensive brand book that documented Workshop Brewing Co.’s updated positioning and messaging. Designed for both internal teams and external partners, the brand book served as a single source of truth throughout the rollout—and beyond.
At its core is the brand mantra: “Nature. Community. Craft.” The book defines how this philosophy should show up across messaging, visuals, and customer experience, providing clear guidelines for logo usage, typography, color, photography, and tone of voice. With this foundation in place, Workshop gained the tools to confidently manage and extend its brand long after launch.
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Website Design & Messaging
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Showcase the Brand
The website redesign was built to reflect the evolved brand strategy—welcoming, playful, and confident, with a touch of blunt humor. The goal was to create a digital experience that felt unmistakably “Workshop”: approachable without being generic, and distinctive without being polarizing.
A Warm Welcome
To set the tone immediately, the homepage greets visitors with a photo of a bartender handing over a cold beer, paired with the message: “You’re Welcome.” The line plays on word choice and tone, capturing the brand’s humor while signaling approachability from the first interaction.
Adaptable Design
We designed the site using a modular framework that allows Workshop to easily update messaging and visuals over time. This flexibility enables seasonal experimentation—such as rotating witty welcome messages tied to beer styles or events—while maintaining a cohesive brand system.
Below is an example of one of the alternate options with a message referencing various styles of beer.
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Atmospheric Design
To reinforce the “workshop” identity, we layered distressed textures inspired by both the physical brewpub and industrial workshop environments. These elements added depth and character to the site, differentiating Workshop from other brewery and brewpub websites in the region.
Photography
An on-site photoshoot provided warm, community-driven imagery and product-focused hero shots that brought the website to life. The photography emphasizes authenticity, craftsmanship, and shared experience—key pillars of the brand.
Previous Design
The previous website was struggling to communicate the right message to the Workshop’s audience. In some cases, patrons wondered if it was meant to feel political.
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Advertising & Campaigns
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Print Advertising
As part of the brand rollout, we developed the “ProCRAFTination” print campaign—a series of humorous ads built around playful interpretations of the made-up term. The campaign targeted summer tourists through placements in popular regional publications, encouraging visitors to stay for just one more beer.
Video Production
To further reach visitors during peak tourism season, we produced a short promotional video highlighting why Workshop Brewing Co. is a must-visit destination in Traverse City. Developed in collaboration with the owner, the video aired in local hotel rooms throughout the summer, reinforcing brand awareness at key decision moments.
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Billboard Design
Strategically placed billboards extended the campaign into the physical environment. Designed to resemble classic “Wish You Were Here” postcards, the billboards showcased Workshop’s signature craft beers while maintaining the brand’s playful, self-aware tone.
On-Premise Brand Experience
Menu Design
One of the most important elements of the brand rollout was the redesign of Workshop’s menus. Inspired by vintage order forms and paired with modern design details, the menus reinforced the brewery’s welcoming, local character while clearly highlighting its craft beer offerings.
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On-Location Photography
Photography played a central role in expressing the brand. Our two-day photoshoot captured the brewpub’s interior, the surrounding community, food and beer offerings, and a live music event. Shot with shallow depth of field and paired with bold graphic elements and distressed typography, the imagery supports a heritage-inspired yet contemporary visual identity.
