Ballerina - Style Guide
Fluid’s licensing department has proudly served as creative partner for Lionsgate’s John Wick franchise for nearly a decade, but it was still a thrill and an honour to be trusted with the creation of the official style guide for Ballerina.
Centred around Eve, a deadly ballet-trained assassin seeking revenge for her father's murder, the film marks the fifth installment in the John Wick franchise, and brings a dark, dangerous, but delicate new direction to the universe. So when Lionsgate asked us to work on the Style Guide, we leapt at the chance.
While distinct in tone, and led by a new protagonist, Ballerina remains rooted in the established lore of the Wick world. Our task was to develop a visual system that honoured this continuity while carving out space for Eve’s own identity. Our approach combined elegance with impact, reflecting Eve herself.
Drawing inspiration from her ballerina origins and Russian assassin training, we crafted a range of executions that balanced poise with violence. Key visuals provide a peak at Eve’s tattoos (neatly echoing John’s), blended with target iconography for a striking juxtapose of poise and threat. We produced a range of key art directions, featuring key visuals including shattered music boxes, and bloodied ice skates reflecting the explosive violence at the film’s core. As usual, all our work is multi-layered with our signature use of secondary reads and easter eggs for an authenticity that longtime fans of the franchise will love.
From neon-drenched, dark motifs that echo John Wick’s signature world to more delicate, time-themed compositions, every route was designed to flex across a wide range of international marketing needs. Whether referencing guns, knives, or family loyalty, the visuals were created to serve as both immediate eye-catchers and subtle storytellers.
