Troika has recently developed the identity for BET Networks' top-rated show, the BET Awards '13. The identity was featured throughout BET's out-of-home, on-air, and digital promotional campaign leading up to the Awards, and culminated with the 13th Annual BET Awards on June 30th.
The highest rated awards show for black viewers over the past 12 years, the network aimed to create a visual experience that depicts the scale and scope of the show, and reinforces the BET Awards as a point of origin for all that's hot in black culture.
"We are excited to work with Troika to bring the BET Awards '13 to life," commented Kendrick Reid, SVP Creative Director at BET. "This is one of the biggest shows of the year and we wanted to develop an aesthetic to help illustrate this to our viewers."
The 2013 BET Awards are rooted in the creative concept - and tagline - "Anything Can Happen," a visual celebration of the absurd that features transformations and reinventions of familiar objects. Troika developed a logo, multi-platform promotional assets, and awards show package designs that use the shapes and geometry from BET's logo to unexpectedly morph into digital confetti, glitter particles, and chrome balloons. The identity's design aesthetic was also used to inform the BET Awards' set design.
"You never know what's going to happen at the BET Awards, and Troika wanted to create an identity that expresses this," said Reid Thompson, Creative Director at Troika. "We were aiming for something surreal and fun - Salvador Dali meets Vegas. It was great to work with the whole team at BET to create a campaign concept that informs everything from the show package to print, digital, and out-of-home promotions."
The 2013 BET Awards identity was developed by a team of over 10 at Troika, including creative directors, designers, animators, producers, and editors. The awards were held for the first time at the Nokia Theater in the LA LIVE complex.