Taking It Further: 2024 Rotators
Hopping Into The Unknown
Evolving Beyond Flavor
While the Little Things Rotator Series was a success, it didn’t elevate the portfolio beyond “good flavor.” The bigger question remained—what was this brand really about?
Through research, we found that Little Things drinkers were curious, adventurous, and eager to explore. That insight led us to a new guiding principle:
Little Things is always exploring—hops, brewing techniques, and bold new flavors.
This mindset shaped the next wave of releases, pushing the series into fresh territory while maintaining the balance between innovation and brand consistency.
Cosmic Little Thing: A Breakout Success
This exploration-first approach led to Cosmic Little Thing, a hazy IPA highlighting Hilo, Cosmic, and Comet hops. The concept wasn’t novel—a playful astronaut surfing through space—but the execution was uniquely ours:
In-house artwork reinforced brand authenticity.
Strong pre-launch hype led to an early expansion into a 19.2 oz format.
Consistent POS design kept the visuals cohesive while adding a space-suit-clad hand for thematic flair.
Despite its originality within our portfolio, we encountered a copyright concern—a Humboldt County brewery had also used a surfing astronaut theme for a limited-edition beer. Rather than take legal action, we took a collaborative approach and co-released a beer the following year: Solar Drift, featuring two astronauts on the label.
Cool Little Thing: A Last-Minute Pivot That Paid Off
Cool Little Thing featured a cutting-edge cryo-fresh freezing technique to lock in hop freshness. The label was originally designed with an Arctic explorer discovering frozen hops (and a lurking yeti), but this ran into an unexpected issue—Trader Joe’s rejected the wintery imagery for a summer release.
With only a weekend to redesign, we pivoted fast:
Pivoted to an undersea theme, showcasing one of Earth’s least-explored places.
Maintained key visual elements (orange waves, frozen hops in bubbles) while making it more seasonally appropriate.
The result? The best-selling Little Things rotator to date. Demand was so high we ran out of raw ingredients.
Rad Little Thing: Skating Into a New Concept
The next rotator Rad Little Thing aimed to blend East Coast and West Coast hazy styles. But the risk? Consumers outside those regions (like Texas) might not connect with the theme.
Early designs focused on the two coasts, but this risked alienating consumers who didn’t strongly identify with either (looking at you, Texas).
Instead, we looked for a unifying theme—something relevant to both coasts and beyond. Skating emerged as the perfect choice
The skater on the label wasn’t just a model—he was a real member of our brewing support team. This added authenticity and deepened the connection between the product and the people behind it.
Recognizing the higher-concept nature of this release, we provided more multimedia support than any previous rotator, ensuring the storytelling resonated with consumers.
Measuring Success
The Little Things Rotator Series is evaluated on two levels:
How well each individual product performs.
How effectively the series sets up future success.
With each iteration, we refined our approach—balancing creativity, consistency, and strategic execution to keep the Little Things brand at the forefront of innovation.
Project Credits
Creative Director: Valerie Murphy
Brand Manager: Jourdan Reinhardt / Karolyn Hubbs
Design Team: Alán Rameriez-Mota, Ashley Troutman
Display Mocks: Rae Kobayashi
Photography/Videography: Metric Cosmetics, Valerie Murphy, Jen MacLennon
