Wolff Olins recently created a dynamic visual identity for WarnerMedia. Born from the acquisition of Time Warner by AT&T, WarnerMedia is a global media and entertainment conglomerate with a portfolio of iconic brands like HBO, CNN, TNT and Warner Brothers. Yet, its own brand was a limited interim solution.
With powerful new competitors in the media landscape, from Disney+ to Apple, it was time to reevaluate. Spearheaded by CEO John Stankey, the leadership pushed for a substantive system for its ecosystem of historic entities. It needed a concise strategy and a compelling mission to unify employees and stakeholders, to understand WarnerMedia's purpose and what it stood for moving forward.
With input from leaders across the portfolio, Wolff Olins helped unify WarnerMedia under one rallying idea: 'Shape Culture Here,' inviting employees to catalyze change and media properties to be part of the cultural fabric.
The visual identity is inspired equally by WarnerMedia's heritage and future. The colorways and kinetic motion of the 'WM' - paying homage to the clapperboard - are signatures that flex between classic Hollywood and screen-based tech space. Elements from the AT&T identity system, such as typography and iconography, are elevated to help increase cohesion between two entities - while saving cost and time for WarnerMedia.
"One of the big design challenges of this project was to create a system that could bring so many distinct, well-loved brands together in a way that felt seamless and new," explained Wolff Olins Design Director, Alec Donovan. "We needed to showcase all of them to tell a larger story about their collective impact without upstaging them. This is why the core strategies and narratives were so important. They really helped inform and inspire so much of the final visual language of this new brand."
The new brand is created to feel as considered and crafted as the content WarnerMedia's brands produce - it's a brand that WarnerMedia teams can rally around and partners can immediately recognize.
