Designing the brand identity and logo for a new liquor store in a rural, mid-American town meant leaning into what makes the local culture great. Taking inspiration from the store's rustic wood exterior and taxidermy-lined interior, I created a visual system that embraces a rugged, outdoorsy feel with a heavy dose of humor. To bring that personality to life, I developed a fluid, illustrative mascot smoking a cigar—a deliberate nod to the fact that Woody’s is the only spot in the area offering premium tobacco products.
Beyond the standard store signage and core logo assets, the branding quickly evolved into a powerful revenue driver. The merchandise line started entirely by accident: after seeing the custom shirts worn by the staff at the store's October 2024 opening, customers immediately began demanding their own, completely clearing out the initial run of t-shirts. By Christmas of that year, the brand had achieved widespread local visibility, prompting the client to scale up production into a variety of apparel and expand the brand assets onto custom pocket knives, koozies, coolers, and more to keep pace with demand.