For the days when a happy meal won't cut it.
MCDONALD’S
SAD MEAL
Initially conceptualized in the Fall of 2020, the McDonald's Sad Meal is the new adult alternative to a Happy Meal; a way to eat away your feelings when you're not feeling so happy. Considering the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and an intense presidential election, the Sad Meal is made for a broad audience yet aims to feel like a relatable, authentic experience for all.
PROCESS:
I used inspiration from 1990s McDonald's packaging and advertising and inverted McDonald's original colors to give the concept a quirky, slightly bleak, yet oddly familiar feeling.
Promoting
unhappiness.
The creative direction for the Sad Meal campaign takes hints from McDonald's print ads from the 1990s to present its backward concept in a way that feels familiar to Gen Xers and Millennials while trendy to Gen Z.
Sharing sadness.
