Secret Speakeasy
Celebrate Christmas with attitude

It’s Christmas and everyone’s selling the same old festive stories rehashed. At HUMBUG, Santa’s swapping the grotto for the dive bar and keeping it real. So we're throwing out the pleasantries and putting on a show. Edgy. Intimate. Exciting. This is Christmas with attitude.

Services used
Strategy | Art direction | Image generation | Copywriting | Web design.

Secret Speakeasy came to us to help launch their new immersive Christmas dive bar concept. This brand had to stand out at one of the nosiest times of year, in a market swamped by big reputations, and even bigger budgets. For a shot at a sell out show we had to feel unpretentious, ooze festive spirit, and yet be like nothing else on the Christmas menu.

Using Ai platform Midjourney, we were able to envisage a venue environment for the production team to replicate. Then build it out into our creative assets, a seamless thread running between brand and experience. We found inspiration for our visual assets in authentic NYC dive bar culture, and prompted our Santa by referencing the Big Lebowski. And added brandy to the cream with an anarchic tone of voice.

"Smith & Devil exceeded expectations, seamlessly blending strategic planning with creative design to craft a logo, brand identity, and key art that truly connected with our target audience. Their innovative use of mid-journey brought our vision to life, showcasing a forward-thinking approach that has left us absolutely delighted with the outcome." James Milligan, Secret Speakeasy.

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