case study
funimation
crunchyroll
CREATIVE DIRECTION + BRAND DEVELOPMENT
+ PACKAGING + CAMPAIGN + PRODUCT STRATEGY
+ BRAND SYSTEMS + ART DIRECTION + TEAM LEADERSHIP
From employee number thirty to creative director of a global anime powerhouse. Over eleven years, I helped grow Funimation from a five-title startup into the market leader in anime localization and distribution—eventually acquired by Sony for $125 million.
This case study focuses on the projects that shaped that journey—the work where craft met culture, and where I learned how to lead both design and story at scale.
context
When I joined Funimation in 2002, anime was beloved but misunderstood—revered by fans, ignored by mainstream retail.
The challenge was to translate cultural authenticity into commercial success without diluting its soul.
As the company grew from a handful of titles to over 750 properties, I built and led the Creative Services Department, overseeing design, copywriting, packaging, and digital strategy across hundreds of releases.
My mission: honor the art form while proving that anime belonged on the same shelves as Hollywood’s biggest franchises.
APPROACH
Our strategy was rooted in authenticity, craftsmanship, and respect for the source material.
We created design systems that spoke fluently to both fans and new audiences—visual languages that treated anime as cinematic art rather than niche content. Each campaign balanced Japanese aesthetics with Western accessibility, fusing storytelling and product design into a single collector experience.
As the brand matured, I focused on scaling the creative team and building internal standards that could keep pace with explosive growth—training designers, writers, and video editors to handle both artistic integrity and corporate polish.
DRAGON BALL SAGA SETS:
A nine-volume collector release, the first complete edition of the Dragon Ball series. I hand-selected animation cells, vectored every character, and collaborated directly with Toei Animation’s art directors for approval. The final compositions became definitive packaging—and were later licensed for global toy use.
SOLUTIONS
Fruits Basket Fashion Line Pitch:
To extend anime into lifestyle retail, I created an apparel concept for Fruits Basket debuting at Magic Las Vegas. The presentation led Hot Topic to open its first merchandising discussions with us, bridging anime and mainstream fashion.
ANNUAL REPORTS:
As Funimation went public, I designed two contrasting investor reports: one corporate and restrained, one bold and neon. It was my first experience designing for Wall Street while retaining brand spirit—proof that design could build investor confidence as effectively as consumer trust.
Fullmetal Alchemist Collector’s Editions:
As Funimation went public, I designed two contrasting investor reports: one corporate and restrained, one bold and neon. It was my first experience designing for Wall Street while retaining brand spirit—proof that design could build investor confidence as effectively as consumer trust.
SUMMER WARS CAMPAIGN:
For Japan’s Academy Film Prize–winning Summer Wars, we built a U.S. release that positioned anime as art cinema. Our tagline, “Always Protect Your Network,” tied the film’s digital-age anxiety to its human heart, elevating animation into cultural conversation.
SPEEDGRAPHER:
Every set was a collectible experience—acetate sleeves, printed interiors, and zero blank cardboard. Every surface was narrative. It redefined packaging as storytelling, setting new collector standards across the anime industry.
gunslinger girl:
A haunting, cerebral series set in Italy. We paired childlike imagery with the headline “Child Predator”—a deliberate provocation that captured the show’s moral conflict. The painterly aesthetic echoed Italian masters, transforming an action title into visual poetry.
rebuild of evangelion:
Few franchises have reshaped an entire nation’s imagination the way Neon Genesis Evangelion has. Often called the Star Wars of Japan, its influence extends far beyond animation—into fashion, philosophy, technology, and the collective psyche of a generation.
The Rebuild films marked not just a revival, but a re-engineering of one of the world’s most beloved and enigmatic sagas. For Funimation, securing and releasing the Evangelion movies wasn’t simply about distributing content—it was about honoring a global myth. The challenge lay in bridging reverence and accessibility: preserving the mystique that defined the original while opening the door for a new audience to enter the world of the Eva pilots, where faith, identity, and apocalypse intertwine.
IMPACT
Over eleven years, Funimation evolved from a small Texas studio into the global leader in anime distribution, culminating in its $125 million Sony acquisition.
Our creative output became the visual template for an entire industry—collector sets, typography systems, and campaign frameworks that shaped how anime brands now reach Western audiences.
Funimation’s transformation proved that niche storytelling could become global culture when design treats fandom with dignity.
REFLECTION
Funimation was my creative origin story—the place where I learned how to build a brand, a department, and a design philosophy from the ground up. It taught me that great storytelling deserves great design—and that leadership is as much about nurturing others as it is about producing ideas.
Every project that followed, from luxury hospitality to global restaurant brands, traces its lineage back to this: craft, integrity, and the courage to build something from nothing.