Lil Woody’s x Bigfoot Mascot:
Generative AI Graphic Design
Lil Woody’s is quickly becoming a staple of the Seattle food scene, known for its creative burgers, deep ties to local culture, and a distinctively cool, rustic aesthetic. To drive awareness for their rotating seasonal specials and brand heritage, I developed a visual campaign centered around the Pacific Northwest’s ultimate elusive icon and Lil Woody’s mascot: Bigfoot. I created a series of promotional posters that place the Bigfoot into surreal, humorous, and iconic Seattle scenarios. By utilizing a multi-step Generative AI workflow, I achieved character consistency across different environments to tell a cohesive brand story.
Tools Used: Nano Banana, Midjourney, Canva
The AI Workflow
1. Creating Bigfoot Model
(Nano Banana)
I started by creating a “real” model of Bigfoot by uploading an image of a metal in-store design of the Lil Woody’s mascot to Nano Banana. I used this model to ensure the Bigfoot character remained consistent across all creatives.
2. Scene Creation
(Midjourney)
I used Midjourney to create the different settings in which Bigfoot would be placed, focusing on atmospheric scenes that relate to the motivation and creative idea behind the posters (e.g., wood cabins, Pike Place crowds, sushi bars). I utilized a process of prompt refinement, rejecting initial outputs and tweaking variables until the visuals matched my specific creative vision.
3. Placing Bigfoot Into Scene
(Nano Banana)
I returned to Nano Banana to place the specific Bigfoot model into the Midjourney scenes, ensuring correct perspective and lighting integration. I made sure to enforce quality control and correct common Generative AI hallucinations, such as preserving the legibility of small, granular details like the "I ❤️ Burgers" patch on his chest.
4. Adding Final Touches
(Canva)
The final step involved adding typographic elements and its layout, including the Lil Woody's logo and campaign-specific copy to turn the AI designs into functional advertisements.
Poster Design Breakdowns
Lil Woody’s isn’t just a burger joint; it is a piece of Seattle culture. This set focuses on location marketing, anchoring the brand to the city’s most recognizable landmarks.
1. Seattle Brand Heritage
Pike Place Fish Toss: Featuring Bigfoot at the world-famous Pike Place Market, participating in a traditional fish toss while a crowd surrounds him. It connects the brand to the history of the market.
Space Needle Climb: Bigfoot scaling the Space Needle on a cloudy day. The tagline implies that Lil Woody’s burgers are the only thing worth coming out of hiding for.
Lil Woody’s frequently collaborates with local individuals and brands. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is a Seattle icon (famous for their flagship store in Pike Place). This campaign highlights the special Mac & Cheese burger collaboration.
2. Beecher’s Mac & Cheese Collab
Mac & Cheese Pool: A surrealist image of Bigfoot floating blissfully in a literal pool of Beecher’s Mac & Cheese. It visualizes the feeling of "comfort food."
Cabin Hideout: Bigfoot sitting in his hideout, a rustic wooden cabin, enjoying a bowl of mac & cheese. It emphasizes the cozy vibe of the restaurant.
This series focuses on the culinary diversity of guest chefs Lil Woody’s invites in order to highlight local neighboring chefs and restaurants.
3. Seattle Burger Month
Sushi Hesitation: Bigfoot sits at a sushi bar, inspecting a piece of sushi with a sniff, unsure of this new food compared to his usual burger. This adds humor and personality to the mascot while highlighting the diversity of the menu collaborations.
Market Sourcing: Bigfoot walking through a crowd at the Pike Place market carrying a fresh fish, as if he is sourcing the ingredients himself.
4. Burger 4 Burger Donation Program
"Burger 4 Burger" is Lil Woody's signature community initiative: for every burger sold on Sundays, they donate a burger to a local organization in need.
Mayweather Flex: Bigfoot standing at the end of a table stacked high with burgers, flexing in a Floyd Mayweather style pose. Instead of ego, this "flex" represents the power of community contribution and showing support for your neighbors.
Feeding the City: Bigfoot standing atop the Space Needle, raining burgers down onto the streets below. This surrealist imagery visualizes the program's promise: that Lil Woody's isn't just feeding customers, they are feeding the entire city, ensuring burgers for everyone.
Lil Woody’s Seafood Month highlights the Pacific Northwest’s access to fresh fish (salmon, cod) by featuring special fish sandwiches created with local chefs.
5. Seafood Burger Month
Trophy Catch: Bigfoot posing proudly underwater holding a massive Salmon, mimicking the classic "fisherman holding their catch" photo. It adds a layer of humor by treating the mythical creature like a typical PNW local showing off their weekend on social media.
Action Deep Dive: Bigfoot mid-swim, captured as he has just snatched a fish after diving in. This implies hyper-freshness by suggesting that the seafood is so fresh, it was swimming seconds ago while layering the humor of Bigfoot swimming and catching his own food.