Silver American Advertising Awards, Northwest
Gold, American Advertising Awards, Northwest

Bridger Brewing

Bridger Brewing is a craft brewery deeply rooted in Bozeman, Montana, built around a shared love for adventure, community and beer. Located across from Montana State University’s campus, students, locals and tourists frequent Bridger Brewing for its house-made pizza and beer. With plans to expand to a second location in Three Forks, the Bridger team sought a partner to elevate its brand and make it more competitive in a saturated market.

We partnered with Bridger Brewing for brand strategy and identity. We created unique and versatile identity and packaging systems and a state-of-the-art website. Through our custom brand strategy process, Hardy was able to focus on what makes Bridger unique then craft visuals and messaging that speaks to their core values.

Bridger Brewing now has the tools to help them achieve their goals of packaging and expansion. It is well on its way to becoming one of Montana’s most recognized and appreciated craft breweries.

Scope

Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Identity Design
Packaging
Branded Merchandise
Print & Digital Advertising
Website Design
Brand Launch
Signage

Location

Bozeman and Three Forks, Montana

awards
SILVER

Bridger Brewing Website — American Advertising Awards Northwest, 2021

PLATINUM

Bridger Brewing Website — Craft Beer Marketing Awards, 2020

Result

This community brewery now has the assets and strategic tools it needs to tackle the next adventure. Post launch, their sales went up 10.12% from the previous year-to-date. They also saw an 18% increase in merchandise sales on their new branded apparel designed by Hardy.

Riverhouse event photography showing a couple eating BBQ togetherRiverhouse homepage mockup on an ipadRiverhouse Montana drivers license branded artwork with logo seal
three versions of the Security Title Co logo side-by-side
An image showing several of Security Title Co's brand book pages
Security Title Co merchandise and business set design
Image with the headline "we eliminate risk" above an illustration of two people putting items into a giant safeAn image of a mother and child with the Security Title Co logo in the corner
Challenge

Stand out in the crowded and competitive craft brewing space where many competitors are also investing in polished branding and packaging.

goal

Prepare a community brewery for a major expansion, packaging and distribution, eventually becoming a nationally recognized brewery.

approach

By determining during brand strategy that “community” and “adventure” are their core values, we were able to craft a strategy and identity that mirrored these driving forces.

Brand Launch

Hardy facilitated a multi-phase brand launch that considered everything from employee-owner training to the ‘why pay more’ signs. The first step was to train all leadership staff on the new strategy. By providing consistent language, their leadership team has the tools to communicate the brand to all employee-owners and customers, utilize it in hiring, and lean on it for business decisions. To support the high level of service T&C is known for, we created talking points, rack cards, and tools that empower employee-owners to answer questions customers may have.

Packaging

The Bridger Brewing team wanted to be prepared to can and distribute its beer after opening its second location. AMS partnered with Bridger Brewing for packaging design concepts. The first step in the packaging process involved a strategy session in which the unique identity of each beer was explored and dissected. Several concepts were then sketched out. Once a concept was selected for each beer, custom illustrations were created for cans and boxes. The result is a full lineup of beers, each with its own design that is unique while still clearly a member of the Bridger Brewing brand.

Reason no. 8

The longest line you’ll see comes from a reel.

reason no. 12

Big ideas are best discussed on the back of a pickup.

Custom icon set done for the Riverhouse brand
Riverhouse BBQ food photography showing a BBQ sandwich and fries
low-contrast Riverhouse logo on blue backgroundRiverhouse BBQ menu designslow-contrast Riverhouse logo on brown background
examples of Security Title Co's website pages
Gif of various custom illustrations done for the Security Title Co brandA grid of the Security Title Co team members at community eventsCustom icon set done for Security Title Co
“I can’t say enough good things about the ownership and staff at Hardy. We went to them with branding and marketing needs, and they were not satisfied with simply giving us what we asked for. Instead, they challenged us, got us out of our comfort zone and ultimately delivered results that exceeded our expectations. I would not hesitate to recommend Hardy to anyone looking to focus and improve their company’s image.”
David Breck
|
Owner, Bridger Brewing
Photo of riverhouse meat with tagline "It's a Smokin' Good Time" overlaid
An illustration of two people in front of a For Sale sign next to Security Title Co's tagline Grounded in Montana Rooted in Community

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