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There are two wings of "Millennial" that are often at odds with each other: Generation Y (people born between 1981-1991) and Generation Z (born between 1991-2001)

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Strengths:
I feel like I have been strong in my design ideas and also in the making of the poster, which I did in photoshop and did not need to use any other software to produce it.

Weaknesses:
I feel like time was an issue, I was making the design within the last week and that I may have rushed it because of the time issue. I also feel like maybe picking this brief was hindering myself somewhat as I was not a gin drinker myself.

If I could do this brief again I feel like I would probably pick another brief to do as I am not a gin drinker and therefore I kind of handicapped myself. Saying that, I did find a range of research throughout the brief and did learn some interesting things through this brief also.

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This is my final design for the poster. I feel like this poster emphasises what I am trying to sell while also showcasing what millennials like to do while drinking. The most I found out was that they love to immerse themselves in technology, therefore, they would love to drink the gin while gaming.

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I edited the font colour to the same colour as the logo title, so it merges a bit more together.

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Faded out the bottles more so they are not making the poster too busy and makes the computer stand out a bit more.

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I increased the bottle picture so that it went over the poster and did not cut off at the top of the poster, and therefore made the poster look more professional.

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I increased the size of the bottom image so it was not breaking the poster up so much. I also added the small slogan of "Gamers need alcohol too" and tried to match up the font with "The Original" part of the company logo.
I also added the lines so it looked the same as "The Original" part too.
The background faded image of the bottles were carried over through the whole poster so it would help showcase what was being advertised.

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I faded out the bottles more and added a lighting effect on the bottom image to make the light from the computer stand out a lot more.

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I added a gin bottle background to showcase what is being advertised, and added the title to the poster to also help with showing off what was being advertised.

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The first thing I did was find a photo to suit the design I had made. I was happy with the stock photo I found to simulate the design, and put that in at the bottom of the poster and then made the background layer black.

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Playing video games socially is something that we’re all more than likely familiar with: invite friends over, have a few beers, play some Rock Band.  Many of us might also grab a drink when playing Madden or when grinding in Dragon Age.  What may not be known, though, is if alcohol consumption really is as common an occurrence among gaming sessions as we’d like to think it is.

About a month ago, we asked our friends and readers about their opinions on drinking and gaming.  Do we gamers often consume alcohol when playing?  What do we drink, and is there a specific drink per game type?  The results were not all that surprising.

I need to preface this article by saying that this was administered purely for entertainment purposes.  No, it’s not a completely representative survey of gamers, but it does cut a nice cross-section, at least of our readers and friends.  While this won’t be published in the NYT it can, at least, let me choose what beverage to bring to the next SideQuest meet-up.

First, the hard numbers that set up the survey:

Demographic Information

Of those surveyed, over 78% were from the US and 92% were male.  Only 8% of those polled were under 18.  While 21 is the legal drinking age in the US, we know that people of all ages consume alcoholic beverages and so we didn’t place a 21 and up cut-off range.  This is a poll, and so it does not need an age-gate for entry.

Gaming Habits

The majority of the gamers (68.6%) owned an XBox 360 and played it frequently, with the PS3 garnering 51% and the PC 45.1%.  Also owned and played frequently were the DS/DSi series (43.1%), with the Wii and mobile platforms (Android, iPhone, etc) at 39.2% each.  The PS2, PSP, Linux, Mac, and Game Boy Advance were also all mentioned, but all were below 20%.

The typical amount of game play time maxed out at 39.2% for 7-10 hours per week.  Over a quarter of those polled (27.5%) play more than 11 hours weekly. The most frequently-played genres were FPS (82.4%), RPG and Action/Adventure (64.7% each).

So to summarize the demographics, the majority of those polled were males who played core games for a little over an hour per day.  Not all that surprising.

Alcoholic Consumption

When it came to asking about alcohol, I was surprised by just how many people consume it when gaming.  The number, 65.3%, indicates that drinking a cold one while gaming isn’t an uncommon experience, although it definitely isn’t regular.

We then asked what kind of gaming was taking place, solo or multiplayer, when the beverages were consumed.  The replies were right on track with what you’d expect: solo games had less drinking, while group outings had more.

“Beer more often with multiplayer games (whether local or global).”“Usually alcoholic beverages when playing music games with friends”“I’m more likely to drink in general or have a fancier, mixed drink when playing local multiplayer with friends. Otherwise, something simple and bottled is more likely when playing online or by myself. I’m more likely to drink alcohol when playing any multiplayer compared to single player.”

The comments that mentioned social drinking far outnumbered the solo players.  When asked if they drink more when playing socially or solo, 75% did so within a social situation.  The common answer revolved around music or party games at get-togethers, with very few mentioning core games/co-op.  Of the remaining drinkers, 15% did so during solo core gaming, with about 10% drinking and playing over online or LAN.

Who Drinks What?

The most popular beverage?  Beer.

“Rockband – Beer”“I drink beer when I play with friends: Either WoW or TF2″“Beer goes well with online multiplayer games, while I prefer hard liquor for single player experiences. Rhythm and music games also become more enjoyable with beer or hard liquor.”

There was something interesting to note about what kinds of drinks went with specific games.  When playing music rhythm games, such as Rock Band or Guitar Hero, beer was overwhelmingly the drink of choice.  For Wii party and sports games, wine was usually mentioned.  Mixed drinks/hard liquor and gaming didn’t really make an appearance in the survey, save for a few mentions when playing music rhythm games locally.

Of the percentage who did not drink alcohol while gaming, the drink choices were far more surprising.  When playing FPS games, several surveyors mentioned cola drinks such as Pepsi Raw or Coke.  Cola drinks, which tend to have a slight amount of caffeine, are easy/quick to consume without much thought.  Perhaps the association is well-placed; FPS gaming tends to be the most focused core gaming experience, so any distractions or slight inebriation greatly affects the clan-centric matches.  It can be difficult to place a much-needed headshot if we’re seeing double.

“Left 4 Dead or any system link FPS = Pepsi RAW”“I tend to avoid booze when playing shooters or music games online.”

Online gaming in MMOs, where long stints of play time are commonplace, trended towards high-caffeine sodas.  Mountain Dew and Red Bull were practically interchangeable when World of Warcraft‘s name came up.

Finally, the data suggested that gamers don’t drink alcohol all the time when playing.  The percentage that selected “Sometimes” when asked about how often alcohol was consumed was 44.9%, with 30.6% selecting “Often” and 16.3% drinking “Every time” they played.  This implies that 46.9% will drink when a controller is picked up, and 44.9% drink under the right conditions.

In Conclusion

While these aren’t hard statistics with actual numbers, they do confirm the generally-accepted idea that social gaming tends to include more drinking than solo gaming does.  The results seem to mirror how we watch movies at home, where social gatherings around home media events tend to include more people, which in turn includes more acceptance of alcohol consumption.

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After the five ideas made, I have decided that the third one seems more likely to be made, as I feel like many of todays Millennials are on the computer, or on their laptops, phones, tablets, etc.

The poster is great at portraying how a introverted individual that do sit at the desk and play games all evening, that they enjoy a gin and tonic, courtesy of Greenwalls Gin.

As a gamer myself, I feel like this is an excellent way to advertise the Gin through something that I would do, and also as the first type of Millennial, I am just involved in technology.

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Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are the demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends; demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years. Millennials, who are generally the children of baby boomers and older Gen Xers, are sometimes referred to as "Echo Boomers" due to a major surge in birth rates in the 1980s and 1990s. The 20th-century trend toward smaller families in developed countries continued, however, so the relative impact of the "baby boom echo" was generally less pronounced than the original post–World War II boom.

Millennial characteristics vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, the generation is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies. In most parts of the world, their upbringing was marked by an increase in a liberal approach to politics and economics; the effects of this environment are disputed. The Great Recession has had a major impact on this generation because it has caused historically high levels of unemployment among young people, and has led to speculation about possible long-term economic and social damage to this generation.

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Millennials, also known as Generation Y or the Net Generation, are the demographic cohort that directly follows Generation X.

What, exactly, is the Millennial generation?

The term Millennials is usually considered to apply to individuals who reached adulthood around the turn of the 21st century. The precise delineation varies from one source to another, however. Neil Howe and William Strauss, authors of the 1991 book Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069, are often credited with coining the term. Howe and Strauss define the Millennial cohort as consisting of individuals born between 1982 and 2004.

Other proposed dates for Millennials:

According to Iconoclast, a consumer research firm, the first Millennials were born in 1978.

Newsweek magazine reported that the Millennial generation was born between 1977 and 1994.

In separate articles, the New York Times pegged the Millennials at 1976-1990 and 1978-1998.

A Time magazine article placed the Millennials at 1980-2000.

Overall, the earliest proposed birthdate for Millennials is 1976 and the latest 2004. Given that a familial generation in developed nations lies somewhere between 25 and 30 years, we might reasonably consider those the start and end points.

There is a great deal of variation from one individual to another within any generational cohort. Nevertheless, the particular environment for any generation affects those individuals in ways that are observable as broad tendencies. This definition of the term discusses those reported tendencies for Millennials in the workplace, Millennials and technology, Millennials and culture.

A snapshot of Millennials, according to their press:

Millennials grew up in an electronics-filled and increasingly online and socially-networked world. They are the generation that has received the most marketing attention. As the most ethnically diverse generation, Millennials tend to be tolerant of difference. Having been raised under the mantra "follow your dreams" and being told they were special, they tend to be confident. While largely a positive trait, the Millennial generation’s confidence has been argued to spill over into the realms of entitlement and narcissism.  They are often seen as slightly more optimistic about the future of America than other generations -- despite the fact that they are the first generation since the Silent Generation that is expected to be less economically successful than their parents.

One reported result of Millennial optimism is entering into adulthood with unrealistic expectations, which sometimes leads to disillusionment. Many early Millennials went through post-secondary education only to find themselves employed in unrelated fields or underemployed and job hopping more frequently than previous generations. Their expectations may have resulted from the very encouraging, involved and almost ever-present group of parents that became known as helicopter parents.

Millennial statistics (Source: Pew Research):

50 percent of Millennials consider themselves politically unaffiliated.

29 percent consider themselves religiously unaffiliated.

They have the highest average number of Facebook friends, with an average of 250 friends vs. Generations X's 200.

55 percent have posted a selfie or more to social media sites versus 20 percent of Generation X.

8 percent of Millennials claim to have sexted, whereas 30 percent claim to have received sexts.

They send a median of 50 texts a day.

As of 2012, only 19 percent of Millennials said that, generally, others can be trusted.

There are about 76 million Millennials in the United States (based on research using the years 1978-2000).

Millennials are the last generation born in the 20th century.

Twenty percent have at least one immigrant parent.

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Millennial is an identity given to a broadly and vaguely defined group of people. There are two wings of "Millennial" that are often at odds with each other: Generation Y (people born between 1981-1991) and Generation Z (born between 1991-2001). People of Generation Y often have characteristics similar to Generation X, which is why Generation Z will confuse Generation Y with Generation X and then claim to be the generation that represents "MIllennial," when in fact, birth years for Millennial range from about 1981-2001, just as the birth-years for Baby Boomers ranged from 1946-1964.

Both Generation Y and Generation Z can be called "Millennials," with the primary difference between the two being technology. Generation Y grew-up on personal computers, cell phones, and video game systems, while Generation Z has grown up on tablets, smartphones, and apps. Yet, the common ground between both generations is that both have been transforming and altering communication and identity--not just in the United States but globally.

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G&J Greenall – also known as G&J Distillers – have been preparing and blending quality gin since 1761.Greenall’s Original London Dry Ginis still made to the original family recipe and its smooth taste is a testament to the exacting standards set by theirhead distiller, Joanne Moore. Moore is only the seventh Master Distiller in the 250 year history ofGreenall’s Gin, and has been in the role since 2006 (having worked in the distillery since 1996).

Containing eight different botanicals including cassia bark and ground almonds,Greenall’sGin was previously bottled at 40% ABV (UK market). It had a distinct citrus twang on the nose and a long finish.Greenall’s is a classic London Dry, with piney juniper, coriander spices and citrus notes at the fore and it delivers exactly what you expect – a decent, robust gin. A premium export expression also existed –Greenall’sSpecial London Dry. At 48% ABV, it had more prominentjuniperand citrus flavours in the mouth but also combined it with a smooth, well-rounded finish. Historically, the general consensus withGreenall’swas that it was decent gin, better than many supermarket brand offerings and worked well in aG&T, but it’s never been considered particularly memorable either. Moreover, despite it being in the same price bracket asBeefeaterandTanqueray, it never quite seem to captivate gin fans in the same way those other classic gins achieved. Having tastedGreenall’s Ginin all sorts of drinks over the years, it often felt a little one dimensional when one ventured into more adventurous cocktails – an area where bothBeefeaterandTanquerayreally deliver. Despite this, we’d count ourselves as fans of the brand even if we weren’t quite advocates either.

In late 2013 however, the brand moved to a lower ABV of 37.5%. With that, it was diminished in the eyes of many who had either enjoyed its dry flavours or, like us here atGin Foundry, felt like the reduction was both cynical and had a huge impact on the overall gin. It’s gone from being a little unexceptional but decent to dull, watery and borderline second rate. The core flavours are there but muffled when tasted neat and drowned out when mixed with tonic. Reducing the ABV is no doubt a huge cost saver but as many could appreciate, when you play a numbers game, you also lose the attention of fans who had previous expectations and experiences. It sends a clear “mass commodity” signal.

From its beginnings in 1761,G&J Greenall’s business had built its success ontradition and heritage. WhenThomas Dakin opened the Bridge Street distillery, production and distribution were basic with gin sold in bulk jars to publicans and wholesalers. The currentG&J Greenall companyname was established when in 1860, following Dakin’s death, the distillery was leased toEdward Greenall. The ‘G’ and ‘J’ of the current company name was evolved from the initials of EdwardGreenall’syounger brothers — Gilbert and John.

The Chairman of the Greenall Group, Lord Daresbury,who is a direct descendant of Edward Greenall, began leasing the distillery in the 1860’s (later fully acquiring it in 1870). Generation after generation focused on combining quality products with cunning business acumen to develop new market opportunities. The mid-1960′s saw the creation of a new distillery after the original Bridge Street distillery became too small to cope with the enormous demand. Today,G&J Greenallproduce a huge proportion (almost 50%) of all home label white spirits consumed in the UK. The legacy of the original owners and the subsequent generations is an element of the distillery and of their eponymous gin that so few other brands could even dream of, let alone have the fortune of presiding over.

When they relaunched the Original Dry Gin in 2009 and attempted to consolidate their place in the current gin boom, new packaging and a huge marketing campaign was devised and centred around Great British Spirit. The original shaped bottle was even altered with a new look logo, a bolder typeface, and a deeper shade of emerald green. By all accounts it was a mixed success, but it rejuvenated the brand and helped build its appeal to a younger audience.