Target wanted to introduce its first ever cross-category brand: aimed at eight to twelve year-olds girls, and featuring hundreds of products from apparel, beauty, tech, and stationary. To resonate with this audience, they invited COLLINS to develop and launch an inclusive, imaginative brand.
The solution, explain COLLIN’S officials: “Girly. The meaning of this word evolves as young girls define it for themselves. Loud. Messy. Confident. Silly. Strong. Funny. Smart. Bold. Kind. ‘Girly’ is a small word that contains a magnitude of personality and possibility. We wanted to create a brand that allowed room for all of it … Because it ain’t easy being a tween. You’re not a kid. Not yet a teenager. It’s often the resilience of your own imagination that gets you through it. We wanted to speak to this – creating a dreamlike, whimsical world that didn’t advocate perfection or some unrealistic ideal, but rather, magic and the surreal.”
The name landed upon is More Than Magic, expressed in a playful brand illustration style with each touchpoint featuring twinkling magical creatures and sparkling skateboards. Every branding element is supported by an expansive color strategy “that welcomes girls as they experiment with their own personal style and identity.”
The creative team includes Gabe Benzur, Megan Bowker, Madeleine Carrucan, Brian Collins, Michelle Fonseca, Cheryl Johnson, Mari Juliano, Sanuk Kim, Sohee Kim, Tomas Markevicius, Dave Rowland, Barney Stepney, Kris Wong, in collaboration with Target Creative.