Sophisticated young professionals who read intelligent, contemporary, and relevant magazines are the target audience for the ads for Candyland, a retro candy and treats store based in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Conceptual, clever, and simple ads resonate best with this demographic. Nostalgic, whimsical, and slightly off-beat, my concept was simple, visually appealing, and easily digestible—pun intended—and operates on the conceptual tagline of being “wild about” Candyland’s gumdrops; so much so, that the wild Minnesota animals who consume them evolve into the color of their favorite drop.

Picasso-inspired continuous-line illustrations and loose, watercolor-esque colorations inspired by one of my favorite childhood picture-books created the illustrative focal points for the ads. Taglines Get Wild—Get Your Wild On and There’s a Little Wild in All of Us – Get Yours are the calls to action in the single and climactic full-spreads, respectively.

Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say, and the necessity to incorporate Candyland’s logo motivated me to revamp, maintaining its essential design, but updating it to a more clean, agile, and flexible image. Surprisingly, it has become one of my favorite elements of the project, along with my dear blue mouse.

VIEW MY PROCESS FOR THIS PROJECT

OBJECTIVES, RESEARCH, INSPIRATION, DRAFTS