Background Context

Marquette is gorgeous — defined by grit and natural beauty. It’s a town where Lake Superior’s icy waves crash against rugged shorelines, and locals pride themselves on hard work, humility and community.

At the center of this story stands Ore Dock Brewing, named for Marquette’s iconic steel ore dock — a massive industrial structure jutting dramatically into the cold, deep waters of Lake Superior.

This isn’t just any landmark. It’s a dock and rail system that, for decades, allowed ore cars to load iron directly onto ships bound for plants across the Great Lakes.

To locals, the ore dock is far more than steel and concrete. It symbolizes resilience, community and the rugged, independent spirit that defines Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP). 

That strong local meaning, however, doesn’t always translate beyond Marquette. And in 2025, there’s also a concern about the name appearing to celebrate extractive mining practices.

Lake Superior is cold, deep and untamed — a force of nature that feels almost otherworldly. Its uncharted depths inspire a sense of mystique that’s central to life in the UP — and to Ore Dock’s story.

On any given night, Ore Dock’s taproom is a cross-section of Marquette: Folks fresh off a mountain bike ride or an afternoon of fishing, camping or kayaking sit shoulder to shoulder with blue-collar regulars. It’s a place where hard work and outdoor adventure meet — and where everyone, no matter their background, feels like they belong.

During our early discovery conversations, one line in particular stood out: “It’s us up on the ladder doing stupid shit that other folks would hire a contractor for.”

(On a personal note, this is one of my favorite things I’ve heard in years. This is exactly how Cody and I run CODO. I shocked the hell out of myself replacing a 20-amp breaker at our office just this morning. Lol.)

That self-reliant spirit runs through everything Ore Dock does — from their beers to their evolving hospitality vision. But it also raised crucial questions that would shape our entire strategy:

– How well does the Ore Dock name travel beyond Marquette?

– Should the dock itself appear in the main logo?

– How strongly should the parent brand come through on future products?

– Are we telling a story about the dock, or about how it reflects the broader Marquette community?

We’ve written about ways to deal with an esoteric name previously. Check that out here if you’d like to dive deeper into this subject. 

Mapping out Ore Dock’s Brand Architecture 

Ore Dock isn’t just a brewery anymore. They’re bringing a distillery online, producing bottled spirits and RTD cocktails. They’ve built a sleek cocktail bar and event center. Plus, they want to make nearly everything they serve on-site themselves: Hard seltzer, sodas, cider and a range of non-alcoholic options.

One of the most important questions their team had going into this process centered around their parent brand: Should everything fly under the Ore Dock banner? Or should they lean more heavily into Endorsed or standalone brands?

If we go the Endorsed route, which products make sense to tie more closely to the parent brand? And does that change if we’re talking about non-alcoholic options that families and kids might enjoy?

While these started as product-focused questions, they extended to new locations — particularly the cocktail bar.

How to name Ore Dock’s cocktail bar

On one hand, this seems straightforward: Ore Dock is opening a distillery, and attached to it is a cocktail bar that serves their beer and spirits. But the team envisioned a more grown-up, 21+ experience for the cocktail bar — something distinct from their all-ages brewery taproom vibe.

Given that, does it make sense to keep the Ore Dock name here? Or should it stand alone, or, should it include some level of Endorsement?

This is exactly what Brand Architecture is for — sorting out big, sometimes uncomfortable questions with clarity.

In this case, we recommended a clear path forward: Develop a separate name with a simple endorsement (e.g. “at Ore Dock”) to maintain flexibility while preserving a clear brand connection.

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Ore Dock came to the table with two names in mind. The first was The Rosewood — a nod to a historic bar that once stood across the street. But after some thoughtful internal discussion, the team decided to go a different route. While Rosewood had historical ties, there was some concern about local backlash since the new space wasn’t located on the original site.

Instead, they landed on The Trestle — a far better fit in terms of local placemaking. The Trestle was an industrial landmark (removed in the early 2000s) that once served as the bridge for trains to load ships via the ore dock itself. It was a natural fit, both functionally and symbolically. (We’ll take a look at this identity design work here in a bit.)

Art Direction

We developed three distinct Brand Essences:

1. Yooper Grit — gritty, blue collar and rugged. A reflection of how locals see themselves: Self-reliant, hard working, unpretentious.

2. Superior Sourced — outdoorsy and clean, tying Ore Dock to Lake Superior’s pristine, wild mystique.

3. The Heart of Marquette — positioning Ore Dock as a local, small-town institution. While fitting for their taproom, this felt too narrow for their regional aspirations.

After a series of great conversations, the Ore Dock team felt “Superior Sourced” was the clear winner — mixed with a healthy dose of “Heart of Marquette” charm. They envisioned something industrial but slightly wild. 

Or as Ore Dock’s Creative Director, Kris Wierenga, put it: “Something that would feel at home painted on an ore freighter or with someone out at camp lighting a fire.”

Developing a killer tagline ( to highlight provenance and overall positioning ) 

A quick process note: While we’ve broken Brand Strategy, Architecture and art direction into separate sections here (easier to explain this way), we actually work through these simultaneously in real time. Architecture decisions shape messaging, which in turn informs positioning and design.

A key unifying piece in all of this was Ore Dock’s tagline.

Superior Sourced isn’t just a catchy line — it’s a powerful differentiator. It ties Ore Dock directly to Lake Superior and signals authenticity, quality and regional pride.

We also like the different levels of messaging here. Our products are better because we make them with Lake Superior water. But then you also get a fun, mid-century sounding claim out of it as well.

On a functional level — i.e. answering the important question of when Ore Dock should come through on a product’s branding — we recommended that when a product draws on Lake Superior water or local sourcing as a value prop, it should cleave closer to the Ore Dock name. For more recipe-driven, trend-oriented products (like an RTD Paloma), creating more separation can protect the parent brand and allow for a different story to emerge to best suit the intended audience.

Owning “Superior Sourced” positions Ore Dock as the quintessential Upper Peninsula beer brand — and a broader lifestyle brand that embodies the region’s spirit.

Ore Dock’s Identity Design 

Once the strategy was dialed in, we moved into brand identity and packaging design — starting with Ore Dock’s parent brand look, flagship packaging and the cocktail bar branding.

We explored two initial directions: One more industrial and gritty, the other more wild and outdoorsy.

Key considerations at this stage:

– How to style and emphasize the “Superior Sourced” tagline

– How to incorporate the dock in a way that works locally but can be dropped when needed in broader distribution

– How can we create cool supporting icons that lean more into the industrial rail car aesthetic?

– How direct should we get with the Upper Peninsula call out? 

– How to build grit and texture into the system while keeping it replicable for their internal team

Lots of cool details here — we’ll let the images do the talking.

Identity revisions focused on getting the final modular system dialed in, including cutting where we needed to, making claims and taglines consistent as well as landing on a final texture application.

We explored identity directions for the cocktail bar, initially working under the name The Rosewood. That concept pulled from the legacy of a beloved historic bar that once stood nearby — but the Ore Dock team ultimately decided to shift course.

While Rosewood had charm, they felt that The Trestle carried more weight. It offered a stronger sense of place, tied directly to the industrial history of the ore dock itself — and by extension, to the broader story they wanted this new concept to tell.

We carried forward much of what the team loved from the Rosewood exploration, adapting it seamlessly into The Trestle’s final identity.

Ore Dock’s brand rollout
 

Kris and the Ore Dock team executed a well-planned staggered rollout, teasing the new identity and packaging on Instagram.

They’re still rolling everything out as we write this, so head over and follow along to see it come to life in real time.

Wrapping up

Ore Dock Brewing is more than a brewery — it’s a love letter to Marquette and the wild, cold expanse of Lake Superior.

Through this process, we helped their team wrestle with big questions: 

– How do you honor a local, esoteric name while expanding beyond your backyard? 

– How do you decide which products and spaces should carry the parent brand? 

– And how do you keep a brand unified while playing in nearly every beverage and hospitality category imaginable?

By clarifying their Brand Architecture, doubling down on crystal clear positioning and building a flexible identity system, Ore Dock is now ready for its next chapter — without losing the spirit that makes it resonate at home.