In 2018, Professor Andrew Jarosz at Mississippi State University released a research paper that revealed how intoxication can be a helpful state for solving creative problems. The study he conducted for the paper involved serving twenty male participants vodka-cranberry cocktails until their blood alcohol levels were near the legal limit, and then asking them to solve a number of word-association problems. The result? The participants who were inebriated solved 13-20 per cent more problems than those who were not, and they solved them faster.
This was great news for all of the creatives out there who like a bit of dutch courage to take on new projects, and for one studio in particular, it sparked a project of its own. After longing for a way to safely mix grain and graft, London-based branding and design agency Office of Overview took it upon themselves to develop a work-friendly, low-strength beer that could be consumed during office hours. “Every creative knows that time away from the screens helps accelerate the creative process, taking long showers or going on long walks – but what about the long lunch,” says founder James Sedgwick-Taylor.
“We wanted something simple, but a bit silly – just like drinking a beer at your desk would be,” says founder James Sedgwick-Taylor on branding the studio’s juicy new product.