It’s no secret that we have a passion for craft beer. We are fortunate as a studio to have the opportunity to develop brands for many local breweries. And, in 2015, we were approached to take over the organization of Des Moines Beer Week (DSMBW). Since then, our design studio has volunteered countless hours each year to grow DSMBW into the recognized and anticipated event it is today. Last year at Travel Iowa’s annual Iowa Tourism Conference, we were awarded the 2016 Iowa Tourism Award for Outstanding Event in the metro. We continue to push the 10-day event each year to bring new, fun & educational experiences in our area centered around the craft beer community.
What is Des Moines Beer Week?
Des Moines Beer Week is an annual event that aims to celebrate the Des Moines area’s growing craft beer scene. Participating businesses create, plan and host fun & unique events during Des Moines Beer Week for the community to enjoy. The craft beer industry is impacting our local economy in a positive way by adding to the city’s culture, encouraging tourism and creating jobs — DSMBW celebrates this.
Our role:
DSMBW had been established one year prior to our involvement but needed an expanded vision in order to grow, including a brand image. We created a unique set of brand assets including a hand-drawn typeface, icons and a color system that would give each year a fresh look while remaining recognizable overall.
We continue to create brand assets for the week as well as handle communications, fundraising, organization and creating and selling merchandise to help fund DSMBW. While this is a team effort, we now have our very own Des Moines Beer Week Coordinator to help spearhead these efforts as DSMBW grows.
818 also co-sponsors one of the featured events, the Drinking Pants Pageant. It’s a special night where we showcase Des Moines’ fanciest drinking attire on the catwalk and is deemed “The most fun you’ll have with your pants on!”
As we reflect on DSMBW 2017, we thank all the breweries, local businesses and volunteers — and most of all our sponsors, because, without them, this wouldn’t be possible. If you love DSMBW and want to see it continue, the best way to support DSMBW is to support the businesses who sponsor the event. We hope to see you next June celebrating this fantastic industry with us! The date has been set: June 15-24, 2018
CHEERS!
#DSMBW