Brick City Anime Festival

Custom Merch & Live Printing for Florida Anime Fans

Cherry Blossoms
and Custom Merch

A sakura-filled activation where fans could get custom merch made on the spot and VIP exclusives they’d remember.

At Brick City Anime Festival, Creative Workshop transformed the show floor into a sakura-filled fan experience. We designed a full line of custom merchandise inspired by anime culture and festival energy, then brought it to life with our on-site print shop where attendees could watch and personalize their apparel in real time.

VIPs enjoyed exclusive designs and limited-edition pieces, while general attendees lined up to create keepsakes they could take home instantly. Beyond merchandise, our team built a booth environment that doubled as a photo-worthy activation, inviting fans to step in, engage, and share their experience on social media.

From concept sketches to fabrication to live event production, we handled the entire process, ensuring every detail aligned with the festival’s theme. The result was an activation that not only generated revenue but also left fans with unforgettable, one-of-a-kind moments tied directly to the Brick City brand.

Objectives

Design and deliver a themed merchandise line inspired by anime and festival culture that resonated with fans.
Operate a live, on-site print shop allowing attendees to customize apparel and create one-of-a-kind keepsakes during the event.
Provide VIP exclusives that elevated the premium attendee experience and reinforced the value of VIP access.
Enhance attendee engagement through interactive elements (personalized merch, festival-themed designs).

The Client

Bold Beast Events is an independent convention organizer known for producing some of the most engaging pop-culture gatherings in the Southeast, including Brick City Anime Festival, Ocala Comic Con, Collective Con, and Bold Matsuri. With a strong focus on anime, gaming, comics, and fandom culture, Bold Beast has built a reputation for creating inclusive, community-driven events that bring fans, creators, and brands together under one roof.

As a repeat partner of Creative Workshop, Bold Beast consistently seeks innovative ways to enhance the attendee experience. From expanding merchandise offerings to investing in interactive booth activations, their goal is to make each event memorable, scalable, and exciting for fans of all ages. Brick City Anime Festival is a shining example of this mission—an event that celebrates anime culture while giving attendees opportunities to connect with the fandom in fresh, interactive ways.

The Execution

We approached the Brick City Anime Festival merch line as if we were embedded members of the Bold Beast creative team. Our process involved developing multiple iterations of apparel concepts and presenting them to the organizers, ensuring every detail aligned with the festival’s brand identity. Working closely together, we finalized the line with their approval.

To build excitement, we promoted the finalized line across all Creative Workshop social platforms, highlighting behind-the-scenes previews and design details. The Bold Beast team amplified the hype, re-sharing our content across their Instagram, Twitter, and BlueSky accounts, expanding the reach to their engaged fan base.

The result was a unified creative direction that carried Brick City’s branding seamlessly into the merchandise and event environment. Under a white-label collaboration, we delivered a merch line that reflected the organizers’ vision while elevating the overall fan experience at the booth we designed and built.

Strategy & Creative Direction

To design an experience that felt true to the spirit of Brick City Anime Festival, our team began by studying the event’s brand identity. The festival’s imagery draws on Japanese lanterns and a sunset-inspired “dusk” color palette—symbols that embody light, warmth, and community. We translated those themes into a Japanese minimalist apparel line that balanced clean design with cultural inspiration.

Our design process included sketching multiple variations of lantern artwork, refining the look until it captured the right balance of simplicity and impact. To reinforce the festival’s atmosphere, we wove sakura blossoms throughout the visual system—appearing not only on apparel, but also across event touchpoints like backdrops, tablecloths, and social media graphics.

Top-selling design: outsold others by 65%

What We Delivered

We combined apparel design, live printing, and booth environment production. Every detail was designed to immerse fans in the Brick City brand, elevate VIP experiences, and generate social media buzz.

1 Custom Merchandise Line – Japanese minimalist apparel collection designed in Brick City’s “dusk” color palette, featuring lantern artwork and sakura accents.
Live On-Site Print Shop – Mobile production setup that allowed attendees to watch their chosen apparel printed in real time, creating one-of-a-kind keepsakes.
VIP Exclusive Merchandise – Limited-edition apparel and accessories reserved for premium ticket holders to enhance the VIP experience.
Branded Backdrops & Event Signage – Festival-themed photo backdrops and table wraps adorned with sakura flowers and lantern motifs for social media–ready fan content.
White-Label Merch Booth – A fully branded retail environment built under the Bold Beast identity, seamlessly integrated into the event floor.
Social Media Campaign – Pre-event and on-site promotion through Creative Workshop platforms, amplified by Bold Beast across Instagram, Twitter, and BlueSky to generate attendee hype.