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before
Barbie
DESIGN
Parham Santana, New York, New York
CREATIVE DIRECTORS
Maruchi Santana and John Parham, Parham Santana
TEAM LEADER/SENIOR ART DIRECTOR
Maryann Mitkowski, Parham Santana
MATTEL VICE PRESIDENT CREATIVE,
WORLDWIDE GIRL’S LICENSING/BRAND IMAGE
Cynthia Rapp
MARKET
Worldwide
The Barbie packaging hadn’t been
significantly updated since the 1970s.
The bubbly logo and graphics were
dated and not keeping up with modern
fashion, especially compared to
standards of design that contemporary
girls were used to seeing in clothing
and toys.
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after
The feminine, pretty, modern redesign
was rolled out for all packaging and
retail fixtures, including bags.
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Reason for Redesign
Barbie’s packaging hadn’t been redesigned since the 1970s.
Although “Barbie pink” was still undeniably powerful with
consumers, competitors were beginning to create their
own pink packaging to establish an association with the
popular brand. Research showed that Mattel’s Barbie had
established a deeply emotional connection with genera-
tions of girls. However, Barbie started her life as a fashion
plate—a doll whose clothing, cars, houses, and pursuits
reflected the times. As she approached her 40th anniver-
sary, it simply would not do that the Barbie packaging
still looked thirty years old. Mattel’s branding team,
Parham Santana, established a brand statement—“Barbie
keeps pace with the times”—around which the millennium-
timed redesign was focused.
Redesign Objectives
• Reposition the brand for growth, presenting a
contemporary new image and capitalizing on the
doll’s 40th anniversary
• Define a more consistent and iconic use of the
Barbie image and leverage the equity of the
Barbie pink
• Reflect girls’ intimate relationship with the brand
and its characters
The Results
Retailers and consumers alike adored the new Barbie.
“It’s the best she’s looked in years,” one retail buyer said.
At FAO Schwarz’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New
York City, the new packaging and merchandising in the
new Barbie Experience section alone boosted a double-
digit increase in sales.
Barbie Design Process
Mattel, the toy manufacturer that makes
Barbie, calls its shapely blond sweet-
heart “the most collectible doll in the
world.” Since the 1960s, Barbie has
done it all, representing just about
every career, culture, and celebrity
status imaginable. This ambitious doll
and her circle of family and friends
make up one of the most successful
brands in the world. The hot pink color
that identifies Barbie doll and acces-
sories boxes is instantly recognizable to
most consumers, no matter where the
market. Focus groups and studies reveal
that in its forty years on the market,
Barbie has achieved 100 percent aware-
ness with its target market—three- to
twelve-year-old girls and their mothers.
1
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1
In early stages of the redesign, designers
explored a series of striped patterns.
2
The final stripe pattern that Mattel selected
and tested with focus groups was a pretty,
modern motif that reflected the revised
goal of the Barbie brand, to keep pace
with fashion.
3
The Barbie logo changed from the original
bubbly type to a cute, but refined, script
designed to appeal to a range of ages and
to modern mothers.
4,5
The company rolled out the final packaging
for thousands of products in 150 countries
and adapted it for point-of-purchase,
merchandising, and store fixtures. The
international rollout took nearly one year
to complete.
6
Parham Santana also created comprehen-
sive style guides to help licensing partners
and retailers around the world adhere to
the newly created standards.
2
3 4
5 6
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