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DREAM TEAM
In late 2020, I was approached by Kendrick Reid, SVP of Brand. BET was rebranding. He was looking for the right shop, and no matter where the job landed, he wanted me on the leadership team. My role was Co-Creative Director, Brand Strategist and Copywriter. Kendrick and I go way back to the Chappelle days at Comedy Central, and we’ve shared many a dinner, dance floor & beach house since.
In the past, I had helped launch BET’s streaming service, created brand identities for tentpole events, and built campaigns for premium IP. All of those projects had given me a unique understanding of the brand and their audience. For me, this assignment was more akin to a responsibility. To be blunt, the list of white boys that get entrusted to help shape the identity of one of the biggest Black media brands on earth is short, and I’m glad I made the cut.
The job was soon awarded to Sibling Rivalry, one of the premiere design studios in NYC, with whom I already had a great working relationship. I teamed up with ECD Joe Wright , CD Rosie Garschina , fellow hired gun CD Jason Moses , and PM Gary Encarcion. We set about building a diverse team of designers, animators and writers to help us crack the case.
We would be working closely with BET staffers like VP of Brand Adrian Hilton, and a ton of other great creative minds like Jonathan Fouabi, Fabienne Roc, Mike Williams, and Jerome Ford. And some top fellow freelance talent like Victor Newman and Kerry Laster, to name a few. Dream team. Dream job.
After almost two months of interviews with the key stakeholders both domestic and international, we understood the mantle we’d be given. We were reimagining BET and future-proofing the brand. Given BET’s unique role in the landscape of entertainment and Black culture, it was clear whatever we did would be received as a cultural statement.
THE BIG IDEA: BLACK CANVAS
As the destination for all forms of Black creative expression, the concept of Black Canvas became the heart of the new visual identity. Black creators. Black visionaries. Black talent. They all come together in one place. A place where any and all forms of Black Excellence can be expressed.
THE LOGO
This Black Canvas idea became the catalyst for how we approached the redesign of the logo. We deconstructed the existing mark, modernizing the three letterforms, retaining the signature BET star, and reimagining it in a completely new way. The starting point was a simple black square. A vehicle for all forms of expression.
When we showed the new logo to the network president, his initial reaction was dismay. “You broke my logo!”. Sibling ECD Joe Wright was steadfast in his determination to sell it through. And to their credit, key creatives at BET championed it as well. In time, we won over every stakeholder. I cannot overstate how important it is to work with people who are willing to fight for great ideas and great design. Safe choices are the default of many executives. It takes conviction and resilience, but you can win over almost anybody. The logo won BET a 2022 Bronze Clio Award.
The square motif gave us a new tool to create unique logos for each of the sub-brands, BET HER, BET JAMS, BET SOUL, THE BET EXPERIENCE, and BET PLUS – tethering them to the master brand, while giving each its own distinct voice. This highly flexible icon system also makes space for new properties and temporary promotions.
Where Mignon Von Serves
Where Michelle Buteau Slays
Where Black Roots Rise
Where Black Spirit Grows
Where Black Joy Erupts
Where Black Excellence Lives
Where Black Levels Up
Where Black Love Soars
Where Black Power Grows
Where Black Rhythm Reigns
Where Black Comes Home
you get the idea...
I developed a modular language system built around the idea of the brand as a destination. The place where Black Excellence lives. This evolved into a series of lines that could flex to speak for the brand, for individual sub-brands, for specific content, and specific talent. The language could be modulated in tone, to fit the appropriate level of casualness or gravitas that the moment required.
The language system was warmly received by the folks at BET, becoming the foundation of a Bronze Clio-Award winning, groundbreaking projection event on the Hollywood sign in LA, and a Silver Clio Award-winning national image campaign.
Part of the image campaign was a series of murals, by local artists in major audience enclaves around the country. This is the kind of idea that I have pitched a million times, at the back of creative decks, where you throw out ideas at the client as proof of concept that it has “legs”. Rarely do these ideas ever see the light of day. But not this time. To my delight, BET creatives were determined to make it happen. They reached out to artists all over the country, and let each one choose the destination line that spoke to them. The cut mini docs for each.
The master brand is the foundation for the entire ecosystem. Bold and contemporary, it sets the tone through the use of a distinct motion behavior. Using the corners of the screen and a highly editorial aesthetic, it feels at once restrained and rebellious. An identity system in a constant state of flux.
We created three additional look & feels, for their three biggest sub-brands (see below). Each had its own style and voice.
Feminine. Empowered. Sophisticated.
With pastel colors, feminine script, and organic shapes, we wanted to highlight the incredible women in the BET family.
Raw. Textured. Bold.
BET Jams takes a page from the aesthetic of tape cassettes, vinyl, and record stores. Raw, textured, and bold it utilizes a vintage collage feel.
Expressive. Heartfelt. Deep.
BET Soul has a more refined feel. Highly influenced by the world of R&B, and all that comes with its more heartfelt narrative.
