Case Study | Rock Fest

Rock Fest

Promotional Strategy & Materials
Environmental Design
Merchandising Design

For over 30 years, rock fans from all over the globe have ascended upon Cadott, Wisconsin for the legendary Rock Fest. Quartermaster was tasked with rebranding this beloved property, with the goal of creating a more ownable ID system and better positioning the event within a heavily saturated regional festival market. It was essential that this brand transition honored the festival’s impressive legacy and struck a chord with its fiercely loyal attendees, a community deeply protective of their annual event.

The Challenge

As the last standing independently run rock festival in the country, the branding solution demanded a fresh perspective on a genre of music defined by rebellion. While we knew certain visual tropes would universally resonate with the target audience, we were fueled by a desire to evoke the rock culture and ethos in a non-cliché approach and reposition these familiar expressions through a uniquely local lens in order to effectively distill the special spirit and longstanding traditions of Rock Fest.

Research & Insights

Early Concepts:

At their core, rock festivals embody the archetype of rebel brands. However, our research revealed that, ironically, many of their brand identities relied on the exact same overused visual cues to communicate their nonconformity, such as gritty textures, rugged fonts, guitar graphics, horror-inspired themes, and traditional counterculture imagery – a formulaic, visual shorthand that failed to capture the distinctive character of each event. Given this significant aesthetic saturation in the market, we knew we needed to take advantage of this white space opportunity.

With a loyal fanbase who we knew valued individualism, resilience,and community, transforming Rock Fest’s brand presented an opportunity to celebrate these ideals in a way that felt authentically inspired and specifically personal to their proud Midwestern roots. From native wildlife skulls to rural barbed wire fences, the natural and manmade elements of the Wisconsin heartland offered a rich design foundation that aligned with the festival’s unique setting and cultural heritage.
 

The Solution: A Bold Tribute to the Land and Legacy

The new logo draws inspiration from the rugged symmetry of wildlife skulls native to the region. Its sharp, jagged angles evoke the raw energy of rock while nodding to the tradition of mounting skulls on wooden plaques—a familiar sight in Midwestern homes, often paired with vintage rock records.

The brand mark, a barbed wire spike twisted into the classic ‘sign of the horns’ hand gesture, serves as a rebellious yet grounded emblem. Barbed wire, a symbol of resilience and community, mirrors the unbreakable bond of Rock Fest fans while tying back to the farmland setting. This modern reinterpretation blends rock’s raw energy with the festival’s down-to-earth roots.
 

The Solution: A Modern Twist on Tradition

The color palette draws from the fiery hues of a golden-hour sunset—vivid oranges, deep reds, and warm yellows—capturing the intensity of rock music and the natural beauty of the festival’s rural grounds. Silhouettes of native, leafless trees entwined with barbed wire add texture and depth, connecting the brand to its landscape. Tree ring patterns symbolize growth and legacy, grounding the identity in its rich history. Native wild animal skulls further anchor the brand to its Midwestern roots, reinforcing a rugged yet modern character that feels deeply personal to the festival’s audience.
 

Outcome and Conclusion

Rock Fest’s revitalized visual identity is a powerful testament to the enduring legacy of rock music and the resilience of its community. Much like barbed wire fences weathering the test of time, Rock Fest fans are united by an unbreakable spirit, and the new brand reflects their raw, untamed energy. The unique new brand, rooted in its Midwestern heritage, captures the essence of what makes Rock Fest a true home for rock enthusiasts, sets it apart from competitors, and appeals to a global audience.

This project underscores Quartermaster’s expertise in navigating brand transformations that honor tradition while embracing innovation. Rock Fest stands as a shining example of how thoughtful branding can empower established events to thrive in crowded markets.

Case Study | HELLBENT

HELLBENT

Market Research & Competitive Analysis
Product Formulation
Naming
Brand Identity Creation
Packaging Design & Development
Promotional Strategies & Materials
Merchandising Design
Pro Forma & Go-To-Market Strategy

A beloved actor, his business partner, and a pair of comedy television writers sought to carve out a bold new path in the alcoholic beverage industry. They wanted to draw on their passion for geek culture and horror movies to create a brand that resonates with a young, culturally-attuned customer base who craves high-ABV options for their nights out. Quartermaster was entrusted with transforming this vision into a fully realized product, leading the creation of everything from the beverage formula and flavor profiles to the name, visual identity, and packaging.

The Challenge

While the founder and his partners brought creative imaginations and a strong concept hypothesis to the table, they lacked experience navigating the competitive beverage industry. Quartermaster was tasked with bridging that gap, identifying white space opportunities, and crafting a distinct product, supporting brand identity and the foundations of what would become a new business. The challenge was to balance current market trends with a disruptive position, ensuring the beverage would stand out in a crowded category while appealing to a diverse audience seeking premium, high-ABV options with bold flavor

Research & Insights

Quartermaster’s research revealed two key consumption trends: the simultaneous rise of low-ABV and high-ABV beverages, catering to different drinking occasions and audiences. This finding validated the idea of a high-octane (8%+ ABV) beverage, particularly among cost-conscious, social drinkers valuing alcohol volume per dollar spent.

Additionally, premiumization trends showed a growing preference for spirit-based cocktails with bold, full-flavored profiles and high-quality ingredients. Therefore, we identified our target demographic to skew younger (ages 21-25), with a secondary audience of late 20s to 40s drawn to compelling storytelling and a premium drinking experience. We also noticed the same classic recipes largely reflected in the product offerings on shelves, leading to the identification of a series of popular cocktails currently underserved in the RTD (ready-to-drink) market.

Our competitive brand analysis uncovered a saturated RTD cocktail space dominated by dainty, highly elegant, minimalist visual identities. This revealed a white space opportunity: a bold, edgy, and illustrative brand that cuts through the clutter, drawing inspiration from horror and occult themes to engage a younger, harder-to-reach audience—particularly males under 35—while offering a distinct alternative to overly feminine branding.

The Solution: Party Cocktails with a Wicked Twist.

Early Concepts:

Enter: Hellbent, a canned cocktail brand that combines real spirit bases, bold flavors, high ABVs, and edgy, horror-inspired packaging. Hellbent’s branding strikes the perfect balance between the clean, minimalist aesthetic common in RTD cocktails and the wild, playful energy of craft beer brands.

The logo features a weathered, gritty style that evokes rebellion and individuality. The tilted ‘B’ symbolizes both the brand’s off-kilter personality and its high ABV, nodding to the idea of being ‘bent,’ or drunk. The brand’s vibrant color palette draws inspiration from the electric hues of 1980s horror movie posters, creating a dynamic and eye-catching shelf presence.The can designs reflect the color of the liquid inside, creating an intuitive connection between the product and its packaging while ensuring visual cohesion across the line.

Each flavor is personified by an illustrated monster silhouette, inspired by iconic horror characters, and paired with understated easter egg elements that deepen the storytelling. These hand-drawn designs, featuring textured ink and paint brush effects, add a raw, eerie authenticity. Each monster’s exaggerated, screaming mouth serves as a striking focal point, amplifying the brand’s bold identity.

Hellbent’s product line includes five wickedly delicious cocktails: Dirty Shirley, Corpse Reviver #2, Swamp Margarita, Pain Killer, and Coffee Negroni. Quartermaster led the development of every aspect of Hellbent, from product concept and formulation to naming, branding, and packaging, crafting a brand that invites all drinkers to raise hell and release their wild side.

Outcome and Conclusion

Hellbent’s distinctive branding and strategic positioning have already garnered investor enthusiasm, setting the stage for a successful market entry. This project exemplifies Quartermaster’s ability to translate visionary concepts into market-ready products. By combining in-depth market research, competitive analysis, and innovative design, Hellbent is poised to be a sin-sational success, redefining the RTD cocktail space with its bold flavors, edgy identity, and rebellious spirit.

Vergola

Brand development and strategy for a global leader in automated louver technology.

Client

Vergola

Our Role

Brand Transition
Marketing Strategy
Social Media
Advertising Creative
Media Buying

Vergola, the largest Automated Louver company in Australia, had recently opened its first U.S. office in Los Angeles. To appeal to a new, uniquely affluent American audience, they were looking to evolve Vergola’s brand positioning and ID. Quartermaster conducted extensive market research, which informed a new series of advertising designed to capture the attention of California luxury home owners.

With new positioning in place, Quartermaster took over the company’s media buying and communication efforts, isolating new targets across digital and print, while supporting social media with refreshed creative and messaging.

A magazine opened and folded over to a Vergola advertisement showing the product outdoors on a sunny day, titled ‘Outdoor Living, Redefined’.

The front and back side of a Vergola brochure titled ‘Outdoor Living, Redefined; Automated & Adjustable Roofing System.

Three example social media posts made for Vergola including a testimony from a client, and two others with beautiful images of the product and a headline.

A magazine opened and folded over to a Vergola advertisement showing the product outdoors at dusk overlooking the ocean, titled ‘Outdoor Living, Always in Season’.

Social media infographic post titled ‘Why Vergola’, with graphic yellow icons representing each of 6 reasons to choose this product, and an image of the product installed in a home.

Metabolé

Brand creation for an industry-leading food science innovation community.

Client

Metabolé

Our Role

Naming
Brand creation
Collateral Design

Metabolé is an organization that brings together business and academic leaders from the worlds of biotechnology and food science to tackle issues impacting the global food chain, particularly in impoverished and third world countries. Quartermaster worked closely with the organization on the creation of both its name and its flagship brand ID. The visual system and positioning we established has served as the foundation for all ongoing communications and event materials.

Place setting with silver charger and silverware, with a maroon vertically rectangular dinner menu placed on top that lists the Starters and Dinner options.

Display of various Metabolé branded stationery, including a letterhead, envelope, and business cards.

Scientel

360° marketing for this global leader in universal technology integration.

Client

Scientel Solutions

Our Role

Marketing Strategy
Brand Design
Content
Social Media Management
Experiential Design
Digital Design

Scientel works with municipalities worldwide managing the integration of wireless networks, Smart City tech and large-scale security apparatus.

Quartermaster provided 360° marketing support for the company, managing all aspects of outward communication, including social, digital, experiential, PR, brand development for new products, and sales and marketing strategy consultation. We also helped refresh the company’s visual ID and brand guidelines to better position them as a premium offering in their market. Additionally, Quartermaster supported the company in the growth of existing partnerships including Nokia and Motorola.

Various pages from the Scientel sales deck arranged in a grid.

The first of three images showing an informational graphic explaining Scientel’s campaign to give back to the community by providing high-speed internet to lower income areas that may otherwise not have it, for the purpose of children in school having access to education during the pandemic.

The second of three images showing an informational graphic explaining Scientel’s campaign to give back to the community, with imagery showing children learning and the outsides of schools, inside circular graphics connected by graphic lines.”

A graphic illustration ofAurora, IL at nighttime with purples and dark blues with various text callouts to things in the cityscape that Scientel’s services maintain and manage, titled ‘Smart City Aurora: A partnership between Aurora, Nokia, and Scientel.

A 3-D rendering of guests playing in the yard game area at the event including games like skee-ball and table tennis, along with various LED cocktail furniture.

A 3-D rendering of an outdoor bar and lounge area at the event, with blue and purple decor and more various large-sized light up white orbs.

A 3-D rendering of a birdseye view of an outdoor activation area at the event with a bar, LED furniture, and purple and silver disco balls.

A 3-D rendering of an eye-level view of an outdoor activation area at the event with a bar, LED furniture, and purple and silver disco balls.

A 3-D rendering of the red-carpet entrance for a Scientel event showing simulated people walking inside and taking photos in front of an event-branded banner, and various large-sized light up white orbs lining the way.

Artist Brand Management

Managing and developing brands for some of the world’s biggest artists.

Client

Various Artists

Our Role

Marketing Strategy
Brand Design
Social Media Management
Content

Quartermaster specializes in brand development and 360° marketing for musical artists, with proven experience in everything from brand strategy and visual ID systems to managing fan communication through PR and social. Our exceptional design team, authentic social voice strategies and most importantly, quantifiable results, have helped us attract some of the biggest acts in music across all genres, including Kesha, Kings Of Leon, and Cat Stevens, among many others.

Four social media posts done for Wrabel.

Cover image for a Martin Sexton CD, Mixtape of the Open Road.

Two social media posts with Kings of Leon lyrics done in a vintage-looking etching style of graphic.

Graphic artwork of a quote by Charlie Daniels, with American flags, crossed arrows, and wings, that says ‘Skynrd is the purest rock & roll band the USA has ever produced.’

Social media graphic depicting Angelique Kidjo next to a kind quote about her from Bono.

Image collage of the artists Yusuf/Cat Stevens.

Vetnique

360 marketing support for this veterinarian-led pet supplements company.

Client

Vetnique

Our Role

CMO Consulting
Marketing Strategy
Automated Email
Loyalty and Referral Programs
Brand Design
Content
Social Media Management

Vetnique was looking for a new marketing and creative partner to level-up the company’s outward communications, refine their brand identity and position the company more competitively in a very competitive market.   

Quartermaster began with an industry analysis in order to better understand the market landscape and isolate key areas of improvement. This included consideration for a new automated email strategy to more effectively engage customers throughout the buying cycle and recommendations for upgrading the company’s subscription and referrals programs, in addition to an overall refinement of the company’s printed and digital materials. 

Quartermaster rebuilt Vetnique’s email system from the ground up and developed a new set of brand guidelines to align all communications including packaging, website, social, OOH and digital advertising.

Additionally, Quartermaster now supports Vetnique with a full range of marketing services, including organic social media management, paid ads, and ongoing CMO support from our founder.

Three views of an email design created for Vetnique for Order Confirmation

“A detailed view of a Vetnique product titled ‘Glandex’ with a silly image of a dog showing its tail and looking backwards, with a full list of the graphic symbols developed for each type of special ingredient used across the product line.

Several social media posts showing the Vetnique products, and lifestyle images of people with their pets.

Barnstorm Foundry

Brand design and marketing strategy for this food science innovator.

Client

Barnstrom Foundry

Our Role

Brand design
Website Design

Barnstorm Foundry collaborates with entrepreneurs and leading scientific and domain experts to launch new businesses that deliver first-in-class health benefits to consumers through foods, beverages, and consumer health offerings. They approached Quartermaster to help create a brand ID that would separate the company from competitors while reflecting their forward-thinking approach.

We accomplished this through an extensive industry analysis, which allowed us to uncover areas of market saturation and unique opportunities within the space. The result is an ID system built around the concept of innovation. The logo features a three-blade propeller, each representing one of the company’s three partners, and how they work together to propel change towards a more sustainable food system.

A white canvas tote bag with the Barnstorm icon very large on the front and the logotype in the top left corner.

A set of stationery with the Barnstorm branding including a letterhead, envelope, and business card.

Several pages of the Barnstorm Foundry website shown on various device sizes including mobile, desktop, and a tablet.

Jewel Osco

Celebrating ‘local’ in a TV spot for this Midwest grocery mainstay.

Client

Jewel Osco

Agency

SuperFly

Our Role

Content
Casting and Production
Focus Group Testing
Music Supervision

No one knows Chicago like Jewel-Osco. Not Whole Foods. Not Mariano’s. Not Trader Joes. “The Jewels” have been a key part of the community since 1899. These days, grocers are quick to throw around the word “local.” But Jewel owns local. And this Gold Telly-winning campaign puts their stake back in the ground, with a giant city of Chicago flag waving from the top of it.

SUMO

Brand design and marketing strategy for this global, multi-asset trading firm.

Client

Sumo

Our Role

Brand design
Environmental Design
Marketing Strategy
Emerging Market
Research
Social Media Management
SEO

Sumo provides a home for professional traders looking for access to clearing, access to capital and administrative and compliance support. They approached Quartermaster to help them create a brand ID that would connect with new and existing clients while also showcasing their “partnership first” approach.

We started by creating a set of brand guidelines that included a new logo, word mark and color palette with use-case examples for each. The visual ID is rooted around the concept of growth, with an illustration style that resembles that of a banknote highlighted through throwback black and white drawings of trees and plants. The new “S” logo in particular was designed to portray a message of interconnectedness between partners and trader peers alike.

Since then, Quartermaster has continued to support Sumo with a full range of marketing services, including Marketing Strategy, Emerging Market Research, Social Media Management, SEO, and Brand Development for other companies they have invested in or are developing.