Since its release, Squid Game quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. The conversation was overwhelming, with fans all over the world commenting on the show, the plot, and the games. As the owners of the series, we were tasked to spark excitement and stimulate FOMO so that people across the country would keep talking about the show. To bring the show’s universe to the real world, we created a design system called “Squid Game Code” with the three iconic elements: triangle, square and circle. Through these elements, we developed an encrypted typography which we used to create different posters, each representing the most iconic moments of the plot.

In order to bring the show’s universe to the real world, we decided to develop a design system titled “Squid Game Code.” This was based upon the three recognisable shapes in a sea of Korean symbols that everybody was talking about: circle, square, and triangle. First, we developed an encrypted typography. This was used to create posters about the show, each representing the most iconic moments of the plot, with encrypted messages that fans could decipher. Through these activations, the audience was immersed into the Squid Game Universe.​

​First, we designed and developed an encrypted typography using the three iconic symbols—triangle, square and circle—that are recognisable across cultures. We then used this typography to create a range of posters, each of which represented the most exciting and iconic moments of the plot of the show. By adding mysterious coded messages to the posters, we stimulated fans to decipher the clues. Eventually, if fans were able to solve the riddle, they would be transported into the Squid Game Universe and live a virtual experience of the show. For the duration of one month, we ran the campaign in print and on Netflix’s Social Media Handles.

We knocked down cultural and language barriers by developing a completely new coded language using the title of the popular series and the three symbols that are recognisable and commonly used in cultures across the globe. By creating a gamification experience around the coded messages, we were able to pique the interest of our target audience and generate FOMO, as everyone jumped at the opportunity to join the conversation about Netflix’s most-watched series. The encrypted typography that we created lived across physical and digital media, with the latter content surpassing our average KPIs in reach, impressions and interactions.

The results are as follows: 

2.6 million impressions

2.5 million people reached

216K views in the teaser

8.8K reactions

1.8K comments

915 shares