PROJECT B: TOKYO, JAPAN - Joe Soriero

PROJECT B: TOKYO

THE PROJECT

In 2020, Brooklyn Brewery opened its first flagship retail space outside of N.Y.C. in collaboration with Kirin Beer and K5, a creative lifestyle hotel set in a 1920's-era bank.

Flush with a great space and beverage program, Kirin approached me to bring "B" by Brooklyn to life through brand strategy, go-to-market framework and product design.

Brand

Positioning & Values

We developed a full brand identity & value set, positioning Project B as a neighborhood powerhouse - a global stage for collaboration and the rising neighborhood's transmitter of creative frequencies.

The mission was to raise awareness of the Brooklyn Brewery brand through supporting, empowering and collaborating with Tokyo's local creative communities in everything we did.

Collaborative Design

If "B" was a powerhouse, it needed a bat signal. We created a dynamic international collaboration starting at home in Brooklyn, fusing illustration from a Japanese illustrator in New York with Hidenobu Takahashi of Smile Neon, one of Japan’s last remaining traditional neon benders with over twenty years of experience.

We were ready to bring Brooklyn Brewery to life through a high-voltage blend of glass, fire, volatile gases and of course, beer in Nihonbashi.

Hidenobu Takahashi, one of Japan's last remaining Neon Benders and an all-out fan of New York Hip-Hop, Low-Riders & 40oz beer.

Brooklyn-Based Illustrator Masaya Nakayama

Hide traces Brooklyn-based Illustrator Masaya Nakayama's logo with glass tubing.

Taking glass to flame, Hide begins the bend.

The design updates Brooklyn's iconic logo with a blend of Japanese old-school Katakana script and Kanji reading “Brooklyn Brewery Tokyo.”

To amplify the collaboration, I produced a short documentary film and full suite of visual assets to share across our digital platforms.

We featured the documentary and photo series on Brooklyn's Global Instagram channel (150K+ followers) and our Japanese pages, driving international traffic to Project B, further establishing its brand.