Bringing a new brand direction to life across 100+ locations.
As Bowlero locations began converting to Lucky Strike in 2025, the brand was moving toward a more upscale, nightlife-driven experience. But cocktails and date nights were only part of the picture. The creative still needed to work for kids’ birthdays, family outings, and everyday bowling.
Working from an agency-created identity, I led day-to-day creative development in partnership with our VP of Creative. I combined hands-on design with team direction, created reusable launch templates, and helped plan and execute original photo and video productions. My job was to turn the brand’s ambition into work our team could actually use, adapt, and deliver.
Scaling Lucky Strike
ROLE
Creative Director
SCOPE
Brand evolution, team direction, hands-on design, photo/video art direction and launch template development
COLLABORATORS
VP of Creative, internal designers and external production partners
CAMPAIGN
National campaigns for 100+ locations across digital, social, email, print and in-location media, alongside approximately 75 location launches.
The Brand Book Was Only the Beginning
Moving from Bowlero to Lucky Strike meant more than swapping logos. Existing promotions needed to feel at home in a new identity, shifting from neon, bowling-led graphics to warmer, people-led photography.
And the identity itself didn’t stand still. The script font was retired, Interstate became the working type family, and stakeholders continued pushing for a more upscale feel. I developed practical design examples and guided the team through those changes, adapting typography, imagery, and layouts without losing the brand’s recognizable character.
The goal was to give the team a consistent starting point, with enough flexibility to solve the next brief.
One recurring promotion, three stages of brand expression: translating Bowlero’s neon aesthetic into Lucky Strike’s photography-led identity, then refining the design as the brand guidelines evolved.
Building the World Behind the Brand
The brand needed to look like an actual Lucky Strike, not a generic bowling alley. Across four photo and video productions in 2025, we expanded the content library to cover nightlife, family outings, food and drinks, and seasonal celebrations.
I partnered closely with our VP of Creative on shot planning, scheduling, casting, and on-set art direction. Across 12 shoot days, I helped keep production moving, contributed creative decisions, and stepped in when the VP was needed elsewhere.
The work didn’t stop when we packed up. I selected and prepared assets, organized the working library in our DAM, and brought the wider design team up to speed on what we had captured and how to use it. That connection between production and everyday design helped turn the shoots into a resource for campaigns throughout the year.
Positioning Lucky Strike as a full night out, with bowling, cocktails, dining, and social moments sharing the spotlight. Four-day photo & video production · Lucky Strike Mineola
Bringing the same energy to birthdays and family outings, with a look that felt playful without becoming a separate brand. Four-day photo & video production · Lucky Strike Miami
Expanding the library for holiday and New Year’s campaigns, with celebratory imagery for both adult and family audiences. Two-day photo & video production · Lucky Strike Mineola
Scaling the Rollout
A new name on the building needed a coordinated introduction everywhere else.
I created the master launch templates used across approximately 75 Bowlero-to-Lucky Strike conversions in 2025. From “Coming Soon” to “Now Open,” the system connected email, paid and organic social, video, web, print, and in-location media.
I designed the core layouts and directed the team’s adaptations, keeping the visual approach consistent while accommodating location-specific details. With timelines ranging from a few days to a month, the templates gave us a reliable starting point without requiring every launch to become a new design exercise.
Lucky Launch Parties invited the neighborhood to experience the new Lucky Strike. I guided the creative across invitations, social countdowns, and follow-up emails, adapting the brand’s nightlife energy for a more playful, family-friendly celebration while keeping it recognizably part of the same rollout.
From building anticipation to introducing the full experience, these emails carried the brand through two stages of the Aliso Viejo launch. Both were adapted from the reusable creative system developed for location conversions.
One Brand, Different Reasons to Visit
Beyond location launches, Lucky Strike needed to connect with people planning very different experiences. I helped shape creative that could move from date nights and group events to kids’ parties and seasonal promotions, adjusting the energy and message while keeping the brand recognizable.
Paid social combined nightlife photography, bold promotional messaging, and location-specific details to position Lucky Strike as more than a place to bowl.
Bright color, playful typography, and energetic photography shifted the brand toward kids’ parties and seasonal family offers without feeling disconnected from the larger visual system.
This in-location poster brought social events, corporate gatherings, and kids’ celebrations into one message, showing the full range of experiences the business needed the brand to support.
Built to Keep Moving
The result was more than a new look. It was a working creative system supported by original content, reusable launch templates, and a flexible visual direction that could serve approximately 100+ locations and audiences ranging from nightlife to family celebrations.
My role was to lead the visual evolution as priorities shifted, giving my team clear creative direction, practical tools, and strong campaign systems they could continue building on.