It was born as a temporary action as part of an advertising campaign by the financial services firm State Street on the occasion of International Women’s Day in 2017, and almost ten years later it is considered a symbol of New York. Now Fearless Girl – the statue of a defiant girl located on Wall Street – has become a brand.
As part of the upcoming celebration of the initiative’s tenth anniversary, the company has set out to boost the reach and impact of what is already understood as a global cultural icon with the creation of the Fearless Girl brand. The goal is to take their message of inspiration, confidence and belonging beyond the city streets to a mass audience.
The identity is based on the bronze statue originally created by artist Kristen Visbal
To do this, he has worked with the creative consultancy Odd Shaped Objects and the Rudy studio to transform the creative idea and strategic vision into an identity. Thus, a visual system has been created based, on the one hand, on the bronze statue originally created by the artist Kristen Visbal and, on the other, on the strength, bravery and power of women in leadership that her figure conveys.
The epicenter of the brand is the logo, drawn by graphic designer Nana Nozaki taking as reference the profile of the statue, which represents a girl of about seven or eight years old, approximately 1.20 meters tall, with firm feet, hands on her hips, and her dress fluttering in the wind. Initially, it was placed in front of the Wall Street Bull in Lower Manhattan, so it conveyed a strong sense of empowerment. Now, in front of the New York Stock Exchange, his gaze is directed toward the buildings, the sky, and the future that looms beyond.
The logo has opted for minimalism, giving shape to the young woman through elegant and dynamic shapes that also play with negative spaces and that communicate the idea of movement and progress. The color palette features a striking coral orange that, in addition to capturing attention, reflects welcome and inclusion. This color is combined with white and black as the main complementary tones, and is combined with simple and clear, but strong typography.
The visual system also includes a photograph that has focused on the people, instead of the statue. From State Street they assure that Fearless Girl is shaped both by what it represents and by what people feel when seeing it and what it brings to them. It is conceived as a symbol of empowerment, resilience or, simply, as a meeting point. Over the years thousands of people, from families to tourists and New Yorkers, have approached her and recreated her pose in photographs and videos; We have sought to pay tribute to all of them.
“Since 2017, Fearless Girl has embraced millions of people around the world, becoming a global cultural icon and a powerful symbol of courage, confidence and possibility.“, they have explained from Rudy. “We wanted the identity to feel like it had always belonged to Fearless Girl: contemporary yet timeless, built around a distinctive emblem that captures the idea of facing the future.”.
Along with the visual identity, a collection of merchandising items inspired by the statue has been created. Among them, a miniature bronze figure, a framed photograph, a keychain and a cap; and they all include the figure of the girl. As indicated on the new brand’s website, proceeds from product sales go to non-profit organizations that work to empower the new generation of leaders.
The brand was presented in July at an event developed together with TH Experiential and held in the same area where the statue is located, in front of the New York Stock Exchange. The activation focused on representation and inspiration about what it means to be brave through a mural where attendees could leave their comments, merchandise raffles, performances and live music.
Fearless Girl thus expands its advertising journey and its trajectory as one of the most prominent street marketing actions globally. In 2018, after its installation, it was recognized with 4 Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions Festival, in addition to 14 Lions of which 10 were Gold.
More info.: Fearless Girl
