| Interview with Frank Varela of Mattel |
| Written by James Tomlinson | |
| Tuesday, 22 January 2008 | |
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INTERVIEW: Frank Varela of Mattel How did you get into package design? FV: I got into package design simply by applying for a position at Mattel. At the time, I didn’t have packaging experience, rather I was hired for the strength of my portfolio, and my knowledge and passion for DC Comic Characters. Before coming to Mattel, I worked for 15 years as a graphic designer and art director. During my career, I worked on a variety of projects for entertainment, commercial and corporate accounts. For example, I designed and art directed for home video campaigns such as The X-Files. I also designed and art directed the syndication campaign for "ER" for both publication and outdoor advertising, as well as worked on in-theater standee and POP projects. When did you join Mattel? FV: I joined Mattel nearly three years ago, and it’s been fantastic. I get to go to work everyday doing what I love, while working with people I enjoy. What other product packaging have you done for Mattel that action figure collectors might remember? FV: I have worked on the DC Super Heroes line since its inception, which includes the Justice League Unlimited segment lines and the 6-inch executions of Batman and Superman. I have worked on packaging for the movie "Batman Begins," particularly the Power Tek figures, Action Cape Batman, and the "Batman Begins" Flip Attack Playset. I also designed and created the packaging line for Batman: EXP (Extreme Power) based on "The Batman" animated series. Most recently, I completed the packaging line for DC Super Friends, a new preschool-friendly line of super heroes. Of all the packages I have worked on, I think the most notable packages that collectors will remember most are the packages I designed for San Diego Comic-Con such as the 2005 SDCC exclusives for "Catwoman," "Batman Begins" and last year’s Solomon Grundy. Do you have a certain aesthetic or approach to your packaging design that you think sets you apart from others in the business? FV: If packages were movies, my first criteria is to come up with a compelling theme or idea for an entire line look that makes the toy THE "star" of the movie, or in this case, the package. Also, when working on a packaging line look for the mass market, I will incorporate a sense of movement in the package design through slanted side panels, swooping blister lines, or bold colors and graphics. If I can create a package the looks like it wants to jump off the shelf and into the shopping cart, I’ve done my job. Fortunately, I work with a very talented package engineer, Ben Bergeson, who helps make all of my crazy packaging ideas a reality. Also, since I work on toy lines that appeal to collectors, one of the biggest criteria I adhere to is to give the toy or action figure an environment. This is very indicative of the exclusives for Comic-Con, but I’ve tried to incorporate the same thinking with product at mass as well. For example, the DC Super Heroes’ diorama stemmed from the idea that it would be nice to have something that was both thematic and environmental for collectors to display their action figure in after pulling it out of package. Explain your main goal as concerns the Man-Bat packaging. FV: My first goal was to create a package design that would stand apart from all previous package designs created for Comic-Con, regardless of the exclusive. Once the decision was made that Man-Bat was going to be this year’s Comic-Con exclusive, I sat down and conceptualized what a package for a half man, half bat monster would be. My second goal was to come up with a strong and original package concept. The most obvious idea was to place Man-Bat in a bat cave environment, but that concept seemed too much like a given. Plus, Mattel had already done a bat cave package execution for the 2004 Comic-Con exclusive, so this idea had to be different. I started thinking what if the package were made to resemble a bat? We could add hair to the package, make it hang upside down, and even add lights and sounds. So after that string of thought, I knew I had my package concept. Additionally, because Man-Bat is a monster that is somewhat in the same vein as Hollywood horror movies, I began thinking about the horror movies I’d seen. One of my favorite horror movies is "Creepshow." As you may already know, the movie was a series of different horror stories that one would find in a comic book, and one of my favorite stories from that movie was the story titled, "The Crate." "Creepshow" provided me with the inspiration to flesh out the entire concept for the Man-Bat package. I also like to add narratives to my package designs, like with "Catwoman" and Solomon Grundy. So, the narrative for this package would go something like this: A shipping crate from Wayne Industries contains a monster that represents an abomination to science and all that is holy. The shipping crate is damaged due to the creature’s numerous attempts to escape. The crate is removed to reveal a hairy bat winged package (half package - half bat): a Package-Bat. Once the bat wing flaps are opened, the guts of the package is Man-Bat shrieking, but is it the shriek from Man-Bat being discovered or from the package being opened? Inside the package, a scene is played out where Batman and Batgirl attempt to capture Man-Bat, but we see them and the landscape from Man-Bat’s Infra-red radar point of view. However, one could also infer that the red of the inside of the package is the life blood of the Package-Bat. So, in a sense, you have a monster within a monster. The red LEDs lighting the package in a upward direction is reminiscent of a kid holding a flashlight under his chin while telling a ghost story from around the campfire, which in turns adds to the overall "spookiness" of the package. For me, creating a narrative helps me to further visualize an entire concept for a package, and when I can see it, I can create it. The third goal was to create a package that a collector could experience with the sense of touch, which is why we opted for an open tray instead of a window box. A collector can touch and play with his action figure without ever taking the figure out of the package, and the plush material attached to the package gives the sensation that you are holding something that is more than just a cardboard box. What challenges were you presented with in terms of the design? FV: This package is a complicated structure. In fact, several times more complicated than Solomon Grundy. Therefore, the biggest challenges were in creating the overall structure of the package. We wanted a structure that could hold the figure -- while still looking like a bat -- along with materials to create a hairy structure, lights and sounds. We also needed to design and create original and compelling visuals and graphics. However, nothing worth having comes easy. It’s the challenges and how those challenges are met that makes something great, and I think this is definitely a great package. What did you enjoy most about designing this package? FV: I loved coming up with the idea for this package, but mostly, I enjoyed working with my team here at Mattel even more. I could come up with great ideas all day long, but without the collaboration and support from my colleagues, the Man-Bat package would have never happened. Mattel is a team environment, and I owe a big thanks to my team both here in the US and in China for helping me make this package a great package. Where exactly did the sound effect come from for the sound-chip? FV: Mattel is a company of a vast amount of resources, experts and creativity. The sound effect was created by the extremely professional and creative geniuses over at our Sound Effects department. It is my understanding that the shriek was a combination of a pig’s squeal and a chirping bat magnified. No one knows what a giant Man-Bat would sound like, but I have to say the sound effects people really did a great job. |
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