Project Overview
When Buff Brew opened its new 28,000 sq. ft. brewery, the pressure was on to prove it could scale up without losing the soul and energy that made it Houston’s most creative craft beer brand. X-Mas in July, built around the release of the iconic Gingerbread Stout, became the first major test. By transforming a seasonal beer into a full brand system — led by the now-iconic Gingerbread Man mascot — the event pulled massive crowds, energized retail partners, and reinforced Buff Brew’s identity as a brewery built on bold design, fan loyalty, and cultural impact.
Services Rendered:
Art Direction
Illustration
Graphic Design
Wayfinding
Marketing Strategy
Content Creation
GBS had long been a winter staple, but its July release became a celebration of the brand’s history and a rarity in craft beer — a high-ABV stout launched in the middle of summer.
The branding for the event centered on a playful new illustration: the Gingerbread Man lounging in a reindeer pool float. What began as a one-off illustration quickly grew into something much bigger. The character became the mascot of the event, a visual shorthand for Buff Brew’s humor, creativity, and adult sense of fun. Year after year, the Gingerbread Man grew in importance until he stood as one of the most recognizable icons of the Buff Brew brand itself.
That summer illustration informed the full identity system for the event. The Gingerbread Man carried across menus, signage, web ads, social stickers, posters, merch, tap handles, point-of-sale, and retail displays that extended the impact beyond the brewery and into the city at large. The design balanced Buff Brew’s new vibrant, whimsical, playful brand energy while holding onto the irreverent humor that had always defined the brewery.
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The results spoke loudly on both cultural and commercial fronts. Fans showed up in droves to the new brewery, proving that Buff Brew could carry its loyal community into a new chapter without losing its soul. Distributors and retailers embraced the look, with the character-driven branding drawing attention on shelves and in bars. Inside the brewery, the event doubled as R&D: over 20 experimental beers were tested on new equipment, while the kitchen proved it could deliver on Buff Brew’s promise of “Houston’s Most Creative Beer” by matching the brewers’ ingenuity plate-for-plate.
Custom Wayfinding
Custom Glassware
Tap Handles
Event Activation Signage
X-Mas in July set the tone for Buff Brew’s new era. It showed that the brewery could scale up without losing the playful, fan-driven energy that made it beloved. It cemented the Gingerbread Man as a long-term mascot, gave distributors and retailers confidence in Buff Brew’s creativity, and proved that the new Summer Street facility was more than just bigger — it was built to host, to innovate, and to create lasting community traditions.