Fression

NOTE: I graduated from Limerick School of Art and Design, Ireland. London was the closest location I could find to Limerick alphabetically.

Fression is an advocacy and events company that proves sobriety and socialising can coexist and have a good time while they’re at it. Very few, if any nightlife spaces exist to accommodate the 25.3%* of the Irish population who don’t drink, which can leave those of us choosing to stay sober feeling high and dry. There often feels like there is a binary within Irish nightlife, in which we often feel pressured to either go on the tear or steer clear. Our nightlife industry must adapt to accommodate rather than alienate those looking for lower key late nights.

*Health Research Board, 2021

By partnering with nightlife venues to host alcohol-free nights out, Fression challenges the binary mentioned above. Its empathetic, tongue-in-cheek graphic elements and illustration style communicate balance, sharing a similarity to Yin and Yang. They also prove that we're in control and that great nights out needn't lead to groggy mornings.

The events company format was favoured over creating branding for a non-alcoholic venue due to it being more accessible and an overall more universal design. While a non-alcoholic venue would only be situated in one place (most likely a city), Fression events can be hosted in nightlife venues anywhere, creating more avenues for scalabilty and giving as many people as possible an alternative night out to "the usual".

The name, combining the words fresh and session, also shares a similarity with the Irish word "freisin", meaning too or also. This highlights how the events also create an inclusive space for those of us looking to drink more mindfully, enjoy hangover-free hangouts or stay fresh for an early start.