Uncut Gems starring Adam Sandler was A24's last published film of the year in 2019 and was one of their biggest gains in media attention, and retrospectively gained more after being considered a snub for an Oscar. The movie trailer featured a golden, bedazzled Furby necklace that the main character sells out of his jewelry store, and was a simple, humorous, and somewhat bizarre prop that made the rounds on social media.
In the words of director Josh Safdie, "there was something so stupid about the Furby. There’s something also so sad about the Furby, the eyes of a Furby — they look so trapped. So the idea of taking this this thing and encrusting it in diamonds and gold, it just dealt with the scenes of the movie that are being trapped inside of materialism."
As a somewhat offbeat toy that has a cult following and is considered a haunted object, the Furby is a fun visual to play with alongside A24, considering a majority of A24's films are horror/psychological thriller and off-the-beaten-track.
Other supporting design elements
Use of black for frames and resting pages, because in movie narratives they begin, transition, and end with a dip to black.
Monospaced type to emulate how screenplays are typographically set, including strategic use of ALL CAPS for proper nouns and indentation to denote different changes of pace.
Unique generation of the typeface "Phase" by Elias Hanzer that has a thick/thin contrast resembling the A24 logo while also breaking the typographic conventions of letterforms to communicate A24's antithesis approach to story curation.
Visual research
Posters from A24 movies and zines sold on A24's website.
Creative Directions
Moodboards
1. Just around the corner
2. We Got the Mothaf—kn Bag
The Tagline
Talk Furby To Me
Tone
Irreverent
Smug
Sardonic
Sketches
Print version
You know when you stare at the sun too long and see spots when you blink? The same effect happens with gold encrusted Furbies. Stare into their eyes too long and you'll be having FURBY VISION for days.
The book was printed on Mohawk Old Rose paper and perfect bound.
Packaging + goodies
After printing the annual report, I placed it into an envelope and covered it with an array of stickers. Furby-licious, baby!
I 3D-Printed a Furby Faceplate, then spray painted it gold and bedazzled his eyes. The faceplate was inserted into the envelope front so that the string could wrap around the Furby face and tie it together.
3d Printed Furby Faceplate
Envelope
Furbuck
Web Report
After seeing the printed piece in all of its ridiculousness, I knew that the gimmick had to be continued across the digital experience.
Since there is an entire internet community dedicated to Furbies, and a general consensus that they are creepy as hell, I naturally decided to create a SHRINE OF FURBY that the user could discover if they looked around the site.
The music used in the background either comes from one of A24's original soundtracks, or is music licensed to use in one of their productions. This allows the site to continue telling the story of A24 while indulging in some good ole tunes.
