Celebrating Personal Bests Through Design and Experience
The Challenge Brooks Running partnered with us, alongside The Merge Agency and Ancel Gerla, to bring to life three almost simultaneous campaigns, each with its own goal and audience touchpoint. The projects spanned:
Brooks Best Fest: an interactive experience where runners could earn badges on Strava to celebrate personal milestones.
Glycerine 17 Launch: a campaign highlighting the sensation of running “on pillows,” emphasizing cushioning and comfort.
Ghost 12 Launch: integrated with Best Fest, bridging product launch and community engagement.
The challenge: create a cohesive design ecosystem that could support multiple campaigns simultaneously, while keeping each initiative visually and experientially distinct.
Strategic Insight Running is deeply personal. Every runner has a story, a goal, a personal best. The campaigns needed to connect on both functional and emotional levels: highlighting product benefits while celebrating achievement, community, and motivation. Digital interaction (Strava badges) offered a perfect way to merge performance tracking with visual storytelling.
Creative Approach
Illustrated Assets: All Strava badges, banners, and campaign illustrations were designed to feel playful, motivating, and distinctive, giving runners a tangible sense of accomplishment.
Cohesive Visual Language: While each campaign had its own tone, the overarching design system tied them together, creating continuity across touchpoints.
Collaborative Craft: Studio Yukon led general design and campaign visuals, with ad illustrations by Alexandra Zutto, ensuring consistency, energy, and personality in every asset.
Execution & Experience Runners experienced the campaigns across digital platforms (Strava, banners), in-store materials, and ads. Each touchpoint reinforced Brooks’ commitment to performance, community, and personal achievement, while maintaining a vibrant, approachable aesthetic.
Impact & Significance
Celebrating the Athlete: Each campaign turned personal milestones into shared moments of recognition, motivating runners to engage with the brand.
Visual Consistency Across Multiple Launches: Despite three parallel campaigns, the visual ecosystem remained cohesive and recognizable.
Integration of Digital & Physical Touchpoints: Strava badges, digital banners, and in-store materials all contributed to a unified brand experience.
In Short Brooks Running’s campaigns weren’t just launches — they were celebrations of achievement. Through thoughtful illustration, playful design, and strategic cohesion, each runner could see themselves reflected in the brand, engage with it meaningfully, and feel part of a community that honors every personal best.