FOX ENTERTAINMENT
Brand IDENTITY

+ Art Director
+ Designer

Following FOX’s transfer of assets to Disney in 2018, the newly-independent “fourth network” set out to reimagine their identity by championing the brand’s bold risk-taking legacy and introducing a new positioning and visual system that breaks through conventional rules and formulas.

Working with the team at Trollbäck+Company, I had the pleasure of developing and art directing FOX’s new design system across several touchpoints, including on-air, streaming, digital, social, print, IRL applications, and overall brand guidelines.

When FOX launched in 1986, it was sharply defined by its ability to push boundaries and take bigger swings than any other entertainment company. In reawakening this rebellious brand character, we worked collaboratively with FOX to question the legacy models holding them back. We reconsidered and redesigned every detail, from the iconic FOX logo to how they engage with fans, all stemming from the mantra “break something to make something.”

Starting with the revised FOX logo, we reduced and subdivided its forms to create a graphic library from which the entire design system would stem. The resulting shapes are used for every visual aspect of the branding, and can flex across both digital and real world materials while retaining a direct connection back to the core of the brand.

These brand shapes were used to create everything from patterns, icons, and navigational elements to office walls, branded collateral, and custom typography characters.

Neue Plak is used throughout the entire brand package.

Condensed weights serve as all headlines and navigational information on-air, while body copy for corporate communications is set in Neue Plak Text.

For all instances of Brand Voice, a FOX version of Neue Plak was built, using the “O” from the FOX logo as a custom character.

The on-air package has 8 different looks for promos and logo stings, each differentiated using color ratio, motion quality, and design.

Rather than base each look on a particular genre, a system based on moods was developed so that the graphics and content compliment each other on a case by case basis.

Because a promo for a comedy may at times have a somber tone, or a clip of drama highlights a comedic moment, the supporting design and animation can adapt to the specific edit, providing a more flexible system than simply bucketing looks by genre.

A uniform grid system is used across every on-air asset to ensure consistency, while allowing the flexibility for elements to be skinned in either the look of the program, or the master brand look without altering the underlying layout or animation style.

Every deliverable was scripted and tool-kitted to accommodate the high volume of promotional material that is produced each month, allowing promos to be adjusted and updated with only a few clicks.

Extensive Brand Guidelines for On-Air, Off-Air, and Social applications were written to aid in the initial adaptation of the new branding and maintain the integrity of the design and motion system into the future. Spread across all departments within FOX, as well as over 200 affiliate networks across the United States, these extensive guides touch upon every aspect of the visual system and provide both theory and specs for not only design and animation, but tone of voice, brand positioning and best practices for social practices.