TGW Logistics:
Stingray Billboard
Ad created for TGW Logistics (Grand Rapids, MI) · 2025
The Problem
TGW Logistics needed to put their Stingray shuttle system in front of grocery industry decision makers in Michigan.
The Stingray operates in sub-zero cold storage environments, performing reliably down to -22F, a technical capability that competitors can't match.
The challenge was making a warehouse automation product feel viscerally compelling on a billboard, to an audience that thinks in terms of supply chains, not advertising.
The Stingray operates in sub-zero cold storage environments, performing reliably down to -22F, a technical capability that competitors can't match.
The challenge was making a warehouse automation product feel viscerally compelling on a billboard, to an audience that thinks in terms of supply chains, not advertising.
The Solution
The Stingray itself became the hero. Rather than showing a warehouse interior, the robot was pulled out of context entirely: art directed and rendered in Blender, with an AI-generated snowy environment composited in Photoshop.
The machine looks completely at home in the chaos, which says everything the headline needs to say.
The Stingray itself became the hero. Rather than showing a warehouse interior, the robot was pulled out of context entirely: art directed and rendered in Blender, with an AI-generated snowy environment composited in Photoshop.
The machine looks completely at home in the chaos, which says everything the headline needs to say.
Result
The billboard got noticed internally at Meijer, a major Midwest grocery chain and key target account.
It created enough conversation that Meijer agreed to a meeting with TGW's sales team. A piece of design created a real business conversation.
The billboard got noticed internally at Meijer, a major Midwest grocery chain and key target account.
It created enough conversation that Meijer agreed to a meeting with TGW's sales team. A piece of design created a real business conversation.
What I Learned
Knowing your audience changes everything. This wasn't a consumer ad, it was aimed at operations directors and procurement teams who make seven-figure equipment decisions. The design had to earn their attention and their respect in about three seconds at highway speed.
Knowing your audience changes everything. This wasn't a consumer ad, it was aimed at operations directors and procurement teams who make seven-figure equipment decisions. The design had to earn their attention and their respect in about three seconds at highway speed.
The Process
Started with thumbnail sketches, moved to marker roughs, then into digital.
The goal was to find one image that communicated extreme cold and unstoppable performance simultaneously, without relying on jargon or specs alone.
The goal was to find one image that communicated extreme cold and unstoppable performance simultaneously, without relying on jargon or specs alone.
Final Design