Designed a speculative campaign email exploring how Graza could turn World Cup season into a branded moment — using the tournament as a cultural hook to drive engagement rather than treating it as a generic seasonal promo.

Graza built its identity on being the "squeeze bottle" olive oil brand — playful, direct, unfussy, made for people who cook casually rather than ceremoniously. Most food and beverage brands treat major cultural events like the World Cup as an excuse for a discount code and a soccer-ball emoji. Graza's voice suggested something better: an email that felt like it came from a friend hosting a watch party, not a marketing calendar.

Typical event-tie-in campaigns tend to:

Bolt a cultural moment onto an unrelated product with no real connection

Lean on generic imagery (flags, trophies, stock crowd photos) instead of brand voice

Prioritize the "hook" over an actual reason to buy

For Graza, the challenge was to design an email that:

Used the World Cup as an occasion, not a costume

Kept Graza's irreverent, high-contrast visual identity intact

Gave the reader a genuine reason to act (a recipe, a use-case, a moment) rather than just a themed banner

The email was built around a borrowed-occasion model: rather than talking about the World Cup directly, it used the event as a backdrop for a use-case Graza already owns — cooking for a crowd.

The goal was to make the World Cup feel like an excuse to use Graza, not the subject of the email itself.

Purpose: Get the brand's product into a real, high-stakes-feeling moment (game day) without losing its casual tone.

The email leads with bold, high-contrast visuals consistent with Graza's existing identity, paired with copy written in the brand's signature short, punchy, slightly cheeky voice. It centers a simple use-case (finishing a game-day spread) rather than the tournament itself, keeping the product — not the event — as the hero.

Bold, saturated color blocking consistent with Graza's existing brand system

Minimal copy, high-impact type treatment

Product-first imagery over event iconography

Casual, high-energy layout over a polished "campaign" feel

The email avoided leaning on discount-driven urgency and instead focused on:

Making the product feel relevant to a moment the reader is already anticipating

Using humor and brand voice to build affinity, not just click-through

Keeping the ask simple and singular

This project explores how a brand can borrow a cultural moment without diluting its identity — using relevance instead of theme to earn attention. It was built as a speculative pitch and sent directly to Graza's Director of Brand Marketing as an outreach piece.

Role: Email Designer Tools: Figma Project Type: Speculative campaign pitch