McHALE DESIGN CASE STUDY: MONSTERVERSE- THE LEGEND CONTINUES…

McHale Design’s Collaboration with Playmates Toys for Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

McHale Design and Playmates Toys reunite to bring the latest blockbuster in the Monsterverse franchise, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, to the toy aisle. With new characters and monsters emerging in the Monsterverse, we were tasked with updating the branding and packaging to follow suit. The results evoke epic storytelling through larger-than-life characters, dynamic graphics and a vivid new backdrop color of… pink! Really? But more of that in a moment…

THE CHALLENGE: CRAFTING A TIMELESS MONSTERVERSE BRAND

Unifying Decades of Legendary Monster Movies with a Cohesive Branding Strategy

The journey began in 2021 with the creation of a Monsterverse brand for the upcoming movie Godzilla vs Kong. In addition to the new movie, the branding needed to work with the entire history of the Godzilla monster movies, decades of a legendary movie franchise beginning with the original black and white Toho version. Our challenge was to unite the Monsterverse empire in an identifiable, cohesive branding statement that considered the era, style, and personality of the entire genre. 

THE BRANDING STRATEGY: BUILDING A MONSTERVERSE EMPIRE 

Architectural Framework and Visual Hierarchy as the Backbone of the Monsterverse Identity

Branding can be approached in many ways—Coca-Cola is branded with red, Batman has his signal, and Nike has the famous swoosh. For Monsterverse, we landed on brand architecture as the unifying feature, with an organized hierarchy across a wide range of visual styles across many decades of content. Strong geometric holding frames, consistent placement of graphics and logos, and an identifiable eco-friendly packaging structure were successful in creating a powerful architectural framework, while the large back panels featured unique movie scenes, character art, and color palettes. These elements provided clear segmentation and storytelling for each era of content.

THE IMPACT: A MONSTER-SIZED AISLE DISRUPTER

Pink in the Boys’ Aisle: Bold Color Choices That Make a Statement

When we were approached for our latest update in the series, we were asked to draw from the same source that inspired the new film, 80’s Heavy Metal posters. These featured strong hints of pink and purple hues. With Y2K color palettes trending and the success of the Barbie movie, pink seemed to be everywhere, except in the boy’s aisle. If you are going to introduce pink to a line of terrifying titans, you better bring it big! The richly saturated magenta colors are a monster-sized aisle disrupter, creating a bright background for the earth-toned product to jump off the shelf! Combined with the yellow caution tape striping, and aggressive character art, the branding retains a masculine appeal that is energized with the infusion of pink.

With a bold new color, strong branding architecture, and dynamic graphics, the updated packaging and branding captures the essence of Godzilla x Kong, igniting imaginations and thrilling fans by spilling the film experience into the toy aisle! This resulted in the Godzilla x Kong toy line becoming a top-selling action figure in the U.S., even before the film’s release. Which was a monster feat indeed!