Comedy Central — Brand idents refresh
Comedy Central has been home to animated series, stand-up specials, satirical shows, and iconic classics since 1991. Comedy Central's international creative team invited Studio Dumbar/DEPT® to refresh their many brand idents.
Strategy
Comedy Central has an incredibly appealing brand mission: make life funnier. They were looking to partner with an agency that ‘gets the brand and can deliver funny as well as excellent design and creative’. So, the strategic challenge was simple: have fun, seriously.
Design
We wanted to adopt and embrace the boldness of the brand in a super-graphic, super-playful way. So, we brought the Comedy Central word mark and CC symbol to life so that they could interact with each other. Free-thinking and exploratory play with motion led to comedic narratives and situations. And the application of physics brought human expression and personality to the identity elements. The wordmark morphs and distorts, adapting to any action or environment. The two Cs in the symbol interplay. There's tension and dialogue as they shape-shift and push the narrative along. And sound design is applied in unexpected layers, either disconnected from the visual or given a twist to take it into a surprising place.
Results
We created 18 hero idents in three styles and 13 themed idents, all in various cuts and all upholding the basis of humour: timing and surprise. The effect is both approachable and smart, which captures Comedy Central's unique spirit and style. By giving the core identity elements limitless scope for humorous manifestation, we have amplified the personality of the Comedy Central brand.
