Building Little Ghost

There’s something about restaurant branding that just hits different. Between the signage, menus, murals, packaging, and environment, you’re not just creating a logo, you’re building an entire world people get to experience. Little Ghost had a lot going for it from the start; its connection to the upscale Grey Ghost restaurant gave the name weight, but moving into the fast-casual scene allowed us to be more playful and loose with it. It’s the kind of project that immediately gets the wheels turning about all the possible directions this brand could go.

Naming

With a name like Grey Ghost, and their famous “Ghost Burger” being a lynchpin of the new concept, we already had a strong direction to build from when it came to naming. We explored a ton of names, bringing in the entire team to throw down. From Burgatory to The Afterlife, and Kindred Spirit to Ghostbeef, we had over 140 names to whittle down! In the end, “Little Ghost” was the one that stuck. It has a strong connection to Ghost Burger, but it felt lighter, something more inviting with a mass appeal. It also opened many possibilities for storytelling and ultimately led to the creation of the mascot.

Finding the Vibe

A lot of my early inspiration came from my personal tastes and obsessions: brand mascots, the paranormal, and street art. We wanted the brand to feel spooky, but not heavy. I kept thinking about those old McDonald’s Halloween promos, like the McNugget toys and the plastic Boo Buckets. There’s a special nostalgic fun in them, they’re slightly creepy, but totally family-friendly and full of energy. That same spirit felt like the right kind of weird for this project. We explored different directions visually, but the one that clicked most was a street art, color-forward take. But when the plum came in, it really unlocked something. It had this Haunted Mansion vibe we really loved. And not just visually, but tonally as well. They’ve always nailed the mix of macabre and family-friendly charm, and this became a reference point for how to handle copy and visuals across the board.

Logotype Creation

The logo type came together quicker than I expected, with the Haunted Mansion fresh in my mind, I had some funky Scooby Doo-era lettering already cooking. Something soft and ghostly, but with a little bounce. It felt right at home with the nostalgic, friendly vibe, and its flowing forms matched the ghost mascot in mind.

Mascot Magic

We started exploring what the “Little Ghost” might look like as a character. It made sense for it to be a burger, but what kind of burger…was he just a burger, a ghost, or should he be a burger that passed (RIP) and then became a ghost? Through all the sketches and ideation, we landed on a burger in a ghost costume, and it just felt right. It took a lot of sketching to figure out how to make that idea read. Early versions didn’t quite land. Not enough burger, too much burger, pancake looking, too goopy or flat. But that side angle with a little bun, a peek of cheese, and just enough wave in the sheet to feel ghostly.

Packaging

Packaging was always going to be a big part of this brand. The client wanted something instantly recognizable, something you could see a block away and immediately want to know more. Which meant a lot of unique color combinations, repetition, and bold visuals had to do the heavy lifting. We leaned into bright neons, mascot-forward moments, and heavy patterning of the logotype. But we didn’t want this to be a brand that was just fun from afar, so we used a lot of smaller, surprise moments hidden throughout the packaging. Little bits of copy under the burger, quippy stickers, etc. These small touches gave the packaging personality and created a bold aesthetic that people will want to share on social.

The Details

Once the core elements were in place, it became easy to finish out the rest. Each part of the tone, color, character, and type fed into the next until the world of Little Ghost became real. The spooky theme gave us a strong center, but it was the small details that brought it to life. That mix of soft spookiness, bright colors, and fast food nostalgia helped make Little Ghost feel like it’s been around forever, but still totally its own thing.