StyleWorks Creative’s D. Thomas Froberg and Alaina Caldwell discuss development of Monster Jam style guides with Feld Entertainment’s Tim Rees

Guys, it’s great to catch up. We’re here to discuss your style guide work for the Monster Jam brand. Were you fans before taking on the project?
D. Thomas Froberg, Managing Director, StyleWorks Creative: We hadn’t been to a Monster Jam event, but were familiar with the brand and its fanbase. With our experience working with vehicle brands, motorsports, team sports and toy brands, we were very interested in the project and felt our background gave us a unique perspective.

We attended a live event to get a sense of the audience and merchandise to date, and that inside look was key to inspiring the development of the guides.

And Tim, what led you to StyleWorks?
Tim Rees. Sr. Director, Integrated Brand Marketing, Feld Entertainment: We’ve had a strong licensing program for a long time, but we knew it was time to take it to the next level. We looked for a partner who could help elevate our designs, and StyleWorks stood out for their broad portfolio and proven experience across diverse, multi- generational product categories. We really liked their design style and how effectively they brought the energy and colour of the sport to life across a wide range of products.

Alaina, what helped you guys get to grips with the IP?
Alaina Caldwell, Creative Director, StyleWorks Creative: There were no organised assets at the start of the project, so we began downloading every asset we could from their digital asset site and assembled them into a rough PDF. This allowed us to see what was available for each truck, what was usable and what was needed.

The biggest thing missing was vector- based truck illustrations. And we could see they needed a more cohesive set of graphics, composed designs, product messaging and product application – along with support elements to capture the theme of the IP and the individual personality of each truck.

How did you approach capturing the kinetic nature of Monster Jam in creative?
Tom: Capturing the stunts from the live events in flat graphics is not always easy. Luckily these trucks have so much personality! We were able to add a little flair, like flames on the tires, smoke and other graphic effects to create a sense of action. The expressive typography and stylised messaging were also key to expressing the excitement of the trucks and their themes.

And what has the collaboration with Feld Entertainment been like?
Tom: The collaboration process has proven very enjoyable. Our final deliverable so far includes 20 individual style guides: a core brand guide, three seasonal guides, and 16 guides for the individual trucks. With an ongoing project this large, we meet every two weeks to catch up and share our progress. This gives us more flexibility and the ability to adapt – and change course if needed – based on the market or the specific IP.

Alaina: We have a great working relationship and a mutual respect, which really helps the creative process as well as their licensing program overall. We very much can’t wait to see what their licensees create with the guides. And they’re even trusting us to develop fantastical origin stories for how each truck came to be, which could lead to some great content for publishing, maybe for a show or movie!

Exciting! And when it came to the three seasonal guides, what opportunities did you focus on?
Alaina: We started with the Halloween and winter collections, tear-sheeting design approaches with mood boards, and working with the IP so we could give the client art assets in time to inspire holiday collections for the upcoming year.

Since the Monster Jam World Finals are this month and feature trucks with custom red, white, and blue paint schemes for America’s 250th anniversary, we created a Stars and Stripes collection. We were also inspired by the patriotic spirit of the regular Monster Jam events in their opening ceremonies, which showed it’s a theme close to the heart of the brand.

Tim: Seasonal collections are new for us, and the overall reaction to the entire project is very positive. Our licensees and our internal teams are very excited to start using the style guides and design elements. We’re excited to start seeing the products from the seasonal collections hit retail shelves and be worn to our events.