“The creative acumen of Brand New School and their ability to breathe new into the iconic was invaluable and helped us achieve our goal.”— - Senior Vice President of Creative Direction, Michael Ouweleen.
The System
The network's original logo inspires the identity system and connects all the platforms in a functional grid. BNS prioritized interconnectedness with a design system that includes playful animation throughout. Each piece, from promos to menus to bumps to IDs, tells the same story from a different perspective. In general, the new identity incorporates specific and creative methods to consistently infuse the network's editorial humor throughout every second of each broadcast day.
Channel IDs
BNS created 14 black-and-white animated stories for each letter in "Cartoon Network" as IDs. These idents pay tribute to the channel's past and allow for collaborations with skilled artists, both inside and outside the BNS community, who work in different animation styles.
”Our brand expansion represents our commitment to delivering a breadth of content that our audience cannot find anywhere else.”— — Senior Vice President of Creative Direction, Michael Ouweleen.
Logo Redesign
The logo was redesigned as part of the network's rebranding. Initially, another firm was in charge of this, but their work needed to be more appropriate due to the complete overhaul of the brand. Some of us were type designers in our previous lives, so we couldn’t resist volunteering what we thought the logo should be.
We updated the logo's letterforms, preserving the checkerboard pattern and comical feel. We also created a smaller version of the logo for use in small-scale applications.
Problem
Help Cartoon Network bring to life its vision of a brand expansion strategy that included a new look and tone.
Insight
Utilize Cartoon Network’s classic checkerboard design, but make it a modular system.
Solution
Create a meta-narrative that uses a complete visual identity system to creatively convey the interconnectedness of the channel's content.
Result
From the promos to the menus to the bumps to the IDs, each piece tells the same story from a different perspective, where the checkerboard functions like a chessboard, with infinite moves possible.
Credits
- CCO, FounderJonathan Notaro
- Managing DirectorDanny Rosenbloom
- Head of ProductionDevin Brook
- ProducerGreg Babiuk
- Associate ProducerMichele Watkins
- Production CoordinatorIlona Klaver
- Production AssistantMadison Brigode
- Art DirectorsEric AdolfsenMike Calvert
- Associate Art DirectorForest Young
- Logo DesignersJonathan NotaroJens GehlhaarEric AdolfsenMike CalvertRyan Waller
- Lead DesignersAdam WentworthDamien Correll
- Icon DesignersMike CalvertAaron Stewart
- Pitch DesignersEric AdolfsenMike CalvertForest YoungJosh ParpanWill FrohnPat ArringtonPhilippe IntraligiRyan CoxSal Dell’AquilaGeorge Vincent
- Flicks Movie Package DesignMario de Toledo-SaderJungeun Kim
- StoryboardingWill Rosado
- Lead AnimatorsHyesung ParkAndy MastrocinqueAndy Mastrocinque
- Digital AnimatorsDavid RasuraChase MassingilCyprian York SadlonMark Thomspon
- Additional AnimationEric BauerDavid Lucido
- Flicks 2D VFX SupervisorArthur Hur
- CG DirectorVadim Turchin
- 3D AnimationWalter Lubinski
- 3D Lighter/CompositorBill Dorais
- 3D TrackingHan Ho
- 3D ModelingWalter LubinskiAdam Rosenzweig
- Flicks 3D VFX SupervisorHan Ho
- Flicks CG DirectorHan Ho
- ID Design and Animation DesignMeg HuntMike CalvertRyan CoxTravis MillardEric AdolfsenRicardo VillavicencioStephen KelleherAndrew Poneros
- AnimationKat MorrisFreddy ArenasWalter LubinskiStieg RetlinAndy MastrocinqueJessica Milazzo
- Original Music/CompositionsMad Decent