Grinch McCafé Holiday Cups
PACKAGING | ART DIRECTION
Every year, coffee fanatics across the US look forward to the top brands’ holiday cups. Creating the perfect Instagram-able moment, it gives fans the excuse to treat themselves or a loved one during the biggest gifting season of the year.
In 2025, someone green took over the McCafé holiday cups. A little sneaky, sassy, but always iconic – the Grinch made his debut, awakening his fans everywhere. I designed six unique coffee cups that spanned across three different cup sizes, giving fans a variety of cups to hunt for. And oh boy, did the fans go nuts for these designs…
McDonald’s saw a significant increase in coffee sales compared to previous holiday campaigns, making this their most successful holiday takeover to date. What makes this even more impressive is that the cups were never featured in any advertising—no posters, no McDonald’s app placement, and no social posts. Guests discovered them entirely through word of mouth.
The final creative approach blended two ideas together: 1) Your McCafé order perfectly gift wrapped by Grinch himself and 2) showcasing all of Grinch’s most memorable, mischievous moments. All while centering McCafé in the middle of this takeover by embedding the brand into a holiday ornament, unifying all the designs together. Mixing and matching these cup designs gave fans the variety they craved. Playfully mischievous and a little messy… just like Grinch!
Before the big launch, I art directed a photoshoot of the final holiday cups. We set the scene with a full Grinch-green takeover. Messy Christmas lights wrap around the cups, while someone a little green is up to no good - knocking over and stealing the holiday cups! This photoshoot perfectly summed up all the playful mischief and whimsey that you can find within the packaging designs.
The fun wasn’t limited to hot cups. The design was extended to create limited edition wrapping paper for employees at McDonald’s Corporate Headquarters in Chicago. Making everyone's holiday a little Grinchier.
