Denny's Tumblr

Art direction, illustration, animation, and social content for Denny’s award-winning Tumblr, built to keep the brand weird, timely, and always in the conversation.

Denny’s Diner

Denny's Tumblr – Serving Up Quirky Content 24/7

At EP+Co, I worked on Denny’s always-on social presence during a period when Tumblr had become one of the brand’s most distinctive channels. The assignment was simple in theory but demanding in practice: keep Denny’s culturally relevant every day without making the work feel like traditional advertising.

I helped develop the visual direction and create a steady stream of illustrations, animated GIFs, memes, pixel art, and quick-turn social ideas built around food, internet culture, and whatever people were talking about that day. The work helped Denny’s grow to more than 620,000 Tumblr followers and contributed to a run of major industry awards and press coverage.

CLIENT
Denny’s Diner

AGENCY
EP+Co

YEAR
2014–2017

MY ROLE
Senior Art Director, Illustration, Animation, Social Content

DELIVERABLES
Animated GIFs, Illustrations, Memes, Pixel Art, Tumblr Content

RESULTS
620K+ Tumblr followers
#1 brand on Tumblr prior to the platform’s 2018 restructuring
Multiple industry awards and national press coverage

AWARDS
One Show Merit, Best Brand Social Media Page
National Addy
New York Festivals Finalist
Mashie Award
Shorty Award Finalist
Webby Award Nominee

PRESS
AdAge
BuzzFeed
Entrepreneur

Named Number One Brand on Tumblr

Denny’s Tumblr Prevails

Denny’s Tumblr worked because it didn’t behave like a polished brand channel. The content was loose, strange, reactive, and willing to participate in internet culture instead of interrupting it.

That meant the visual work had to move fast. Some ideas were finished illustrations or animations; others were intentionally rough, awkward, or absurd because that was what made them feel native to Tumblr. The goal was consistency of personality, not consistency of format.

Tasty Grub GIFs!

Animated GIFs gave us a way to turn simple food ideas into small, repeatable jokes. A strip of bacon became a hula hoop. Chicken and eggs became a motorcycle. A sandwich could stretch, bounce, explode, or do something it had no business doing.

The loops were designed to work quickly, often with little or no copy, so the joke had to read almost immediately. That made timing, silhouette, and one clear visual idea more important than polish.

Onion Ring Hula

Chicken Drag Strip

Tiny Bite

Sausage Air Dancer

Catsup

Jurassic Nugget

Egg Roll

Pie Hole

Made-to-Order Pixel Art

Pixel art became another useful visual language for the channel. It was nostalgic, instantly recognizable, and simple enough to turn almost any Denny’s menu item or cultural reference into something strange.

I created custom pixel illustrations and animations inspired by old arcade games, fighting games, platformers, and early computer graphics. The lo-fi style fit Tumblr’s personality while giving us another way to keep the feed visually unpredictable.