Clued In is a highly successful improvised comedy show that performs out of Second City in Chicago, Illinois.
THE PROBLEM
Their current marketing materials were dated, did not showcase the theme effectively, and lacked the playful humor of the show. Additionally they needed to be able to easily edit promotional material and switch out cast members, without doing a never ending combination of group photos.
THE PITCH
By capitalizing on the built in fan base of Clue and embracing the nostalgia surrounding the game, we could create photos that evoked the original playing cards. They would draw people into the graphics while showcasing the diversity of the cast, range of emotions in the show, and highlight the premise with murder weapons in plain view.
THE PHOTOS
During the photoshoot, I directed each cast member to evoke a variety of emotions, poses, and weapons so that the final choices could show the distinct personalities of each person. Visually I created monochromatic color schemes for each cast member to emphasis their portrayal of "Mr. Green" or "Ms. White." Each card has simple elements of art deco inspiration and plays with layering to help the portrait stand out.
THE WALLPAPER
The show needed a new step and repeat background for their audience to take photos with. So I created a custom illustratedrepeating patterned wallpaper, styled in the show's setting of early 1900s. I hand drew each illustration with pen and scanned and edited the graphics for the pattern. I included objects from their show like the magnifying glass, famous Chicago landmarks like the Art Institute lions, and elements from improv at Second City like the notorious Bentwood chairs.
THE POSTER
Bringing the photos and the wallpaper together, I created a poster resembling framed portraits in a would be murder mystery mansion! I fleshed out the poster with additional frames to make the wall feel full but maintain the focus on the portraits, and added in texture and layers to give the poster depth.
THE RESULT
Through this project I was able to refocus their brand into a more playful, thematic, and eye catching visual direction. While the campaign is still be released to their audience, I am already working with them to take additional cast members portraits and create more marketing materials.