Joys“R”Us
At the heart of both Babies“R”Us and Toys“R”Us was so much joy. Parents anticipating the birth of a child could be celebrating a 5-year-old’s birthday, too. Those needs were very different, and that had led to two very different brand identities. Cobranded touch points were a design challenge, and lacked a strong reference to either brand. With the help of talented internal and agency partners, we developed a unifying “R”Us identity, bringing warmth and cheer to the combined brand experience.
“R” icons were developed for a fun take on product categories from teethers and bath toys for babies, to party balloons and wood blocks for kids.
“R” characters were created for branded applications like shopping bags, gift card key fobs, balloons and branded product patterns.
Video animations added charm to the website, digital marketing and social content.
The design system’s color, illustrated icons and photography could be flexed to unify or distinguish the brands as needed in store signage and digital marketing.
The impact
The project put customers at the center of a continuous brand experience for the first time. As the rollout began, it effectively charmed the organization into a mindset shift, inspiring other cobranded strategies. One of those shocked us all. Tap the arrow below to see what “Breaking the internet” looks like.
