In a world running on algorithms and automation, our interactions have become transactional, standardized and impersonal. As a result, the world is left to crave the character that was once left behind by the people who plied their heads, hands and hearts into the making of things.

Character is a casualty of modern life.

At Maker’s Mark Whisky, we believe the best people, places and things are still made with character. And we seek to reveal and embrace the hidden character all around us.

Within key cities across the country, we sought to reveal and embrace overlooked character with our message. These outdoor locations were found at the heart of each city’s cultural center, where the hustle and bustle of everyday life is aided by technology and machines, where people are busy looking down at their devices and not out at the character that surrounds them.

We wanted to get people to look up, to celebrate these places of rich culture and character. Rather than leverage the pre-printed canvases traditionally installed on manufactured structures in the outdoor channel, we selected outdoor placements on uniquely textured surfaces that spoke to the character of the city. We painted – rather than installed – our message using bright, bold colors from our brand in a fresh new way, and we minimized our own brand name, even partially covering it up, so the message (and not the brand) spoke first: Character isn’t made by machine. The act of painting the murals became just as important as the final product, as passers-by took pause to watch the artists work.