Lucha Libre

The packaging below has been designed to contain a series of Lucha Libre action figures. There are three separate designs in total with each one featuring its own unique wrestling character. To be completely honest the designs are not the most creative. This could be down to the use of white, green and red, the colours of the Mexican flag, which although has obvious connotations to the country, is a slightly obvious palette choice. The designs are bold enough to remain memorable yet do somehow fall flat in the creativity stakes. It is obvious that the illustration of the 'luchadores' face is the same on all three boxes with just a different fill colour, the quickest way out. I like the three names and how the figures inside the box have their own personalities, it's definitely an inspiration for my project.

Below is some basic information on the sport of Lucha Libre and the social importance it has in Mexico.

History: In the early 1900s, professional wrestling was mostly a regional phenomenon in Mexico until the Mexican Wrestling Enterprise was founded in 1933, giving the sport a national foothold for the first time. As television surfaced as a viable entertainment medium during the 1950s, wrestling was broadcast across the nation, subsequently yielding a popularity explosion for the sport.

Styles: Luchadores are traditionally more agile and perform more aerial maneuvers than professional wrestlers in America. Lucha libre has several different weight classes, many catered to smaller agile fighters, who often make their debuts in their mid-teens. Lucha libre is also known for its tag team wrestling matches. The teams are often made up of three members, instead of two as is common in the U.S.

Masks: These have been used dating back to the beginnings of lucha libre and have a historical significance to Mexico in general dating to the days of the Aztecs. Early masks were very simple with basic colors to distinguish the wrestler. In modern lucha libre, masks are colorfully designed to evoke the images of animals, gods, ancient heroes, and other archetypes, whose identity the luchador takes on during a performance. Virtually all wrestlers in Mexico will start their careers wearing masks, but over the span of their careers a large number of them will be unmasked.

Mini-Estrella: Lucha Libre has a division called the "Mini-Estrella" or "Minis" division, which unlike North American midget professional wrestling is not just for dwarves but also for luchadores that are short. Originally the limit for the Mini division was 5 feet.

Popular Culture: Outside of Mexico Lucha Libre has also crossed over into popular culture, especially in movies and television. In film there is the 2006 Jack Black comedy 'Nacho Libre' and in television there was a animated series titles 'Mucha Lucha' and an episode of 'Angel' was dedicated to a family of Luchadores. The sport has also featured heavily in many fighting video games such as: Tekken, Street Fighter and Virtua Fighter. Nike has designed a line of lucha libre inspired athletic shoes.

Below is a piece of design that I collected when I was in Mexico. The match itself was incredible and the atmosphere was beyond excitable. At the time I had no idea how big of a match this was, however in hindsight and after some research it really was. Mistico and Mr. Niebla just happen to be two of the biggest names in the sport right now.