[Image shot onsite at Disneyland | Tim Girvin]
Working Imagination | The Imagineers at Disneyland
In my history as a design leader, we worked around various propositions of entertainment at Disney—not only working on films, but Disneyland itself, in a string of calls from the Imagineering teams at Disney, Glendale, CA.
These were patent-related calls—new technology applications that Imagineering had produced
involving the development of mist-generated projections, moveable props,
pyrotechnics and entertainment narratives with music.
We partnered with their team on the creation of Fantasmic—
identity and branded expression—seen in this onsite poster.
Onsite photograph by Girvin
With Disneyland design teams, this work also explored amenities and guest experiences for proximate properties that were directly linked as Disney hospitality environments—for example, our exclusive design programming for the Fantasia floors at the D Hotel. And the other Wrather acquisition of [aside from the Disneyland Hotel ownership] Hotel Queen Mary & Spruce Goose—and we produced packaging, signing and promotion for this property.
We started working on the park perimeter hotel, and that led to attributes of the Disneyland Hotel as a bridge to features inside the park.
For inside, on-site experiences and Imagineering collaborations, another water and mist technology, with music and projected narratives, we developed the design package for “Fantasy Waters” which is used in on-site display, and performance location signage.
This relationship started GIRVIN on a Disney destination strategy learning experience, originally around placemaking entertainment that was built inside their newly patented technology. That had to do, as we noted with Fantasmic, with inventions around water, a kind of hyper-mist-related, screen-building capacity.
First, experimental work at Fantasy Waters,
For in-hotel dining, we designed the brand system and collateral for restaurants, like this merchandising for Neon Cactus.
This water feature was also built around motion-based water jets, illumination and music—simple, but an opening demonstration of another set of Disney Imagineering technology, which we worked with them on the naming criteria—back then, Disney had a particular marketing “fascination” with, historically-relevant Fantasia-layered thematic thinking. That event sequencing found greater magnitude in Fantasmic, a much larger crowd-gathering event, with sound, mist, fountains, water movement, animation in a complex visual choreography which we branded for the Imagineers and Disney Parks.
Two recent elements resurfaced this story.
One, I was talking about our efforts with the Disney team and the strategy of designing of complexly integrated placemaking tactics—and this LATimes story emerged on new Imagineering patents, also water-based and projection-related—
from the LATimes, authored by Hugo Martin.
Two, this first reference also followed along a discussion around ride engineering and musical integration which was one of the signatures of the wildly imaginative flourish of Mary Blair, a Disney Imagineer—who has her own spectacular creative history in designing Disney—particularly her legacy
as the lead Imagineer for “It’s A Small World,” among other properties.
Image from Steven Lopez 7, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
A clockmaker’s complication of gears and timing mechanisms, songs that have happily been repeated millions of times, along with a bobbing synchrony of a boat
ride in the labyrinthine channeling of the journey. Commentary on Mary and her spectacular sense of contrastive color—
even violently opposed colors, with striking results–
from the Designing Disney blog.
Image from Benjamin19551966, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
For a shared storytelling strategy in Disney University-based learning, for example, we worked around the proposition of learning the Disney way of innovative thinking, as in a Chautauqua-style storytelling sharing campus and educational environment. Eisner’s Disney Institute—which, since that time, has evolved into a kind of in-Parks, onsite Disney Institute, is now based at their Orlando Park. We designed a brand system visual language for signage, educational materials, room and guest amenities, interior brand patterning and merchandising.
The overarching iconic system, as it relates to programs and experiences.
The core collateral system for the Disney Institute
And expanding on hospitality entertainment design and marketing, the second reference is to another
string of events that we designed for nearly a decade—Disneyland GradNite.
We designed posters, invitations, clothing and merchandising, year after year.
which is now returning for 2027
—also, just announced.
That string of efforts led to building-out a brand manual for Disney Stores,
a global packaging, signage and merchandising system and product development for Disney gear.
Merchandising and product development—
abiding by strict character portrayal requirements, generating
campaign thematics and aligned merchandising selections.
The Disney Store Brand Systems Guide
Finally, we designed a customized titling typeface for Disney–a font,
designed for Disney Stores, for packaging, signing and indoor merchandising:
as well as working on films ranging from
Early start-ups in movie identity like our work for “Snow White,”
“The Black Cauldron,”
and “The Black Hole.”
John Carter of Mars—originally in a pitch book for Kerry Conran,
Iron Man, the Ewoks, [later Disney properties]
to The Lady and The Tramp
and Raya.
Journey, onwards.
It all comes down to the quintessential harnessing of imagination—and the tactical know-how to deploy innovation.
Disney, intriguingly, with all of its historical ups and downs, and leadership evolutions—
has come to represent one of the most dynamic creative engines in scope and legacy.
Tim Girvin | GIRVIN | OSEAN
Collaborators in strategic imagination,
invention and innovation.
Follow Us:
Facebook LinkedIn Instagram Behance
Discover more from Girvin | Strategic Branding & Design
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.