All work Bouldering club Watch the film ↗

An original brand by Saitoc.
A neighborhood bouldering club.
Madison → Milwaukee.

SIDEWAYS

A second city.A first move.

A little sideways.
Watch the opening loop ↗
Three angular climbers connected by a chalk line across coral climbing walls.

Brand, opening campaign,
membership, digital product,
space and expansion strategy.

Opening a wall is easy.
Opening a social circle
takes more.

SIDEWAYS is a neighborhood bouldering club built around the part that happens between climbs. For its move from Madison to Milwaukee, we built an opening around a simple invitation: come alone, leave with a reason to come back.

The brief joined the whole journey. A poster should lead to a first visit. That visit should lead to a familiar face. A membership should make the next visit easy to plan.

Progress has company.

Make the sideways move. Progress can mean reaching across to another person, not climbing above them.

Big reaching gestures, exaggerated holds and a line that wanders off route give the identity its character. The voice starts with the person who's never touched a hold. No summit language. No pressure to be the strongest person in the room.

Butter #F3EFAEAubergine #26202BCoral #FF6655Acid #D5F75B

The letters lean into the next one.
The route keeps going.

The opening film

Your first move
can be sideways.

Climbing, arrival and a record passed between people. The film carries the invitation into the club's illustrated world.

Landscape with sound ↗Portrait with sound ↗

Out in the neighborhood

Milwaukee,
come across.

The first invitation. The first name.
Something to put in next week's calendar.

SIDEWAYS Milwaukee. A little out of your way. Opening soon.
Opening poster · Milwaukee streets · Announce the new club.
First hold. First name. Your first visit includes shoes and a hello.
First-visit poster · Near the club · Invite beginners to First Moves.
Routes and Records. Bring a record. Meet a climbing partner. First Friday at seven.
Event poster · Record shops and club · Bring people to Routes & Records.
Make it a Tuesday. Four visits a month, 69 dollars.
Membership poster · Club and social · Explain four visits for $69.

Climb a little.
Stay a while.

Two climbers take a break and pass a climbing shoe across the bench.

The arrival bench makes introductions easy. A shared table hosts the record swap. The quiet corner gives people permission to sit one out.

Signs use the same chalk line as the campaign, so the promise at the bus stop continues through the door.

Explore the space and event series ↗
A newcomer steps through the coral doorway toward the club's welcome bench.
SIDEWAYS floor plan with arrival bench, climbing wall, commons table and quiet corner.Walk through the club ↗
Climbers exchange a record and linger together at First Friday.
Routes & Records. Bring something to share.

The SIDEWAYS Four

Same day.
Next week?

The four-visit membership gives a new climber a steady rhythm without asking for an unlimited commitment. First Moves takes care of the introduction. Club nights give people a reason to stay after their last climb.

We designed the member experience around three jobs: find a session, keep a pass handy, and see who's meeting up.

4 visits.
$69 / month.

Shoes included on your first visit.

Open the membership app ↗

Try a reservation. Cancel it. Pause your pass.

The next neighborhood

Earn a place
in the neighborhood.
Then earn
the second visit.

Built for this project

Give the opening
a clear invitation.

The identity, opening film, four campaign pieces, membership app and in-space program share one entry point: a first climb with room to stay afterward.

Next / opening

Start with the people
already nearby.

Place the opening campaign around the walkable neighborhood. Invite local record shops into Routes & Records. Open First Moves reservations before selling an unlimited pass.

Before launch: confirm partners and the opening schedule.

Next / first 90 days

Build a rhythm
before another address.

Review which first-visit sessions lead to a return. Ask departing guests what kept them away. Tune the weekly calendar before adding sessions or planning the next city.

Before expanding: review return visits and capacity.

What progress means.

Reservation → first attendance → second visit → membership

Track the path from campaign to reservation, first attendance, second visit and membership. Keep quiet-session capacity separate from social-night demand. Creative and product work are built here; operating results begin when the club opens.

An opening people notice.
A club they return to.

The campaign makes the first invitation. The app removes the booking friction. The room and the weekly rituals give the next visit a reason.

Take the short route ↗The opening loop