Cathleen Heard - Nancy Drew: The Big Lie

Nancy Drew &
The Hardy Boys:

The Big Lie
Death of Nancy Drew

For the Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie and Death of Nancy Drew comic series, I produced a variety of logo and trade dress designs. The first two samples demonstrate the approved designs applied to issues and the second graphic novel; subsequent mockups display proposed logo iterations developed during the brainstorming process. The focus was twofold - staying true to the genre legacy of these iconic sleuths while infusing the branding with a neo-noir style to give it a modern edge.

Alternate Cover Treatment

My Approach

I explored design directions that nodded to classic detective pulp while keeping the look fresh. The series creator, Anthony Del Col, referenced the logo treatment from Rian Johnson’s Brick, which became our guiding vision. I experimented with type - from clean to grungy, modern to vintage - and tested layouts to capture mood without losing readability. The final trade dress - flexible logos, borders, framing, and color palettes - unified the series across diverse covers and two different runs of the series.

Reflections

This project underscored the importance of respecting legacy properties while pushing them with modern sensibilities. Iterating through many logo variants helped refine what felt authentic, resulting in a brand-appropriate identity.

Client

Dynamite Entertainment

Project Type

Print Design
Branding
Typography
Logo Design
Magazine Cover Design
Comic Book Design

Tools Used

Adobe Illustrator
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe InDesign
Canva (3D-Rendered Work Samples)

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