ODDS ON
ESPN FRANCHISE

ESPN // Logo Design // 1 Week

When the producers at ESPN developed a new segment that was to air in Australia, the creative team turned to me to create a unique logo that represented the spirit of the country and it's deep roots. Interestingly, this particular assignment came with a few last-minute twists no one saw coming. 

Setting the Mood

When approaching a project like this one, where culture and design meet, I like to begin my explorations with various moodboards. Eventually, narrowing down a direction and establishing some guidelines from the beginning really helps focus the project. My goal after drawing inspiration from Australia's native culture was to bring in the finer details into the logo to establish a subtle connection with the viewers. 

channeling our inner artist.

The visual moodboards I leaned on inspired me to create custom typography. I wanted the logo itself to feel like art that you might be able to find alongside some of the indigenous art found in Australia. The artwork itself felt playful and innocent. Which led me to think, what better artist to make something playful and innocent than a child? So I took the opportunity and had my daughter draw up some custom lettering. 

The Result

After digitizing the painted lettering, I was able to overlay and recolor some of them to fit my vision.  

To provide the show producer with some variations, I also created additional versions and a couple more creative directions for the franchise. 

To provide the show producer with some variations, I also created additional versions and a couple more creative directions for the franchise. 

Plot Twist

Unfortunately, after vetting the logo concepts with the extended team, including legal, the show producer and creative team came to the conclusion that we couldn't air a logo with connections to the indigenious culture of Australia. The risk associated with the legal consequences of a highly protected group was too great. 

So, in a last-minute scramble, I provided the team with two more subdued logos, more reminiscent of the logo family we had across all of the ESPN properties. Although in one variation, I did try to sneak in a call back to the original visual direction by adding a touch of art into the logo. That idea was also struck down. We ended up going with the variation on the right.