Scholastic
The 39 Clues

Branding   |   Illustration   |   Video

Cracking the code of The 39 Clues

Scholastic, one of the leading publishers of books for children and young adults, imagined a new kind of story: one that would extend beyond the written page, spilling out into collectible cards, interactive storytelling, and the participation of young readers everywhere. This new series, The 39 Clues, revolved around orphans who pursue the eponymous clues while evading the sabotage of other family members. When they needed a bold, impactful identity for this new multiplatform entertainment destination, they turned to SJI.

 

CHALLENGE
Scholastic challenged us to create an instantly recognizable brand and graphic system to launch a new type of book series—one that would integrate a collectible puzzle trading card system and interactive website.

INSIGHT
With shelf presence of utmost importance to the series, we needed to create an iconic design that would stand out on overcrowded bookshelves, and be adaptable to a wide range of other applications and media.

APPROACH
We created a bold, colorful concept centering around a highly rendered logo with intriguing, color-saturated backgrounds. This allowed us to convey the excitement of the story without having to show characters from the books, instead focusing on mysterious items and locations, allowing the reader to imagine themselves in the story.

“Suzy leads an extremely talented team of passionate, creative folks who, by the end of your first time working with them, will make you feel like they’ve always been on your team.” STACY LELLOS SVP, SUBSCRIBER MARKETING, SCHOLASTIC

DESIGN PALETTE
As part of the visual language we developed, each competing branch of the Cahill family in the storyline was given its own coat of arms and color palette.

COLLECTIBLE GAME CARDS
Included with each book, hidden behind the cover, were a series of randomly assorted collectible game cards. Over 100 cards were created for the initial launch, each with clues and codes that could be entered and solved online. Booster packs, sold separately, helped fans collect the entire series.

WEBSITE
Our designs provided the basis for the website, where fans can create their own character, and use the puzzle cards to solve additional mysteries that paralleled the events of the core book series. Additional mobile games were developed using the same graphics palette.

SEQUEL SERIES
The initial storyline continued over the course of three years and was a huge hit, with over 8.5 million copies of the novels in print and licensed for publication in 24 languages. The success of The 39 Clues led to a second and third series of books, for which we created a video teaser, new book covers, and card designs.

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