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Design agency Superestudio has whipped up a fresh new look for Discovery-owned lifestyle brand Food Network.
The Buenos Aires, Argentina-based agency won the project with a design hook that captured the spirit of the channel, says Brian Keenan, design director, Food Network and Cooking Channel.
“We had a traditional pitch process with multiple agencies bringing their ideas to the table, as well as the internal design team contributing concepts. Superestudio proposed the deceptively simple idea of using basic ‘cooking actions’ from their very first presentation, and eventually brought that to life in the refresh. That clever editorial hook was broad enough to capture the spirit of the channel, while being specific enough to drive the animation language of each element.”
Superestudio baked the fun and joy of cooking into all of the refresh’s elements with a vibrant and modern brand recipe.
“This refresh reflects the evolution of Food Network and its programming. It’s meant to highlight what makes the brand so unique and what makes our shows and talent so appealing and relatable to fans,” says Karen Bronzo, group senior vice president, marketing and strategy, HGTV and Food Network. “We wanted to amplify the wide variety and emotional range offered across all Food Network’s programming – from raw, real emotional moments, to gripping competition, to playful and culinary-forward shows. The package needed to have the flexibility to let each of those emotions come through naturally.”
“We focused on creating a full sensory experience with this refresh,” says Superestudio Executive Creative Director Ezequiel Rormoser. “Throughout our design process, we looked closely at how to capture the spirit of cooking and to find ways to creatively represent that in a branding package.”
Superestudio started out by selecting a color palette inspired by real food, including chili red, honey yellow and vegetable green. Those culinary-inspired choices tie the graphic system firmly to the network’s hero concept: approachable, aspirational, beautiful and relatable food.
Superestudio also added a bold and modern typography system, based on the sans serif font Gilroy. By updating and modernizing the type, Superestudio created a relaxed and delicious visual appeal that communicates the brand and its values.
And the agency framed up the network’s content using cinematic layouts that showcases the two protagonists of the network’s story: food and talent.
The agency then cut in “the dot,” taken directly from the Food Network logo, as a layout organizer, using it as a way to initiate tune-in and organize program information in a compelling graphic layout.
It blended everything together with some cooking-action animations on the logo, such as “chop,” “slice,” “boil” and “bite.” These actions serve as easily identifiable shorthand references to the network’s content.
Superestudio served it all up with an off-air and social media design system created to complement the brand’s flavors.
“Food Network is a global brand with countless consumer touch points—from TV, digital, mobile, social, over-the-top, out-of-home, print, events and more. A key component of the refresh was to create a look that would modernize Food Network’s design aesthetic while not feeling out of place with the existing global brand architecture. The refresh successfully folds in many of Food Network’s pre-existing design touchpoints to create something that is both fresh and familiar,” says Bronzo “We didn’t want to revolutionize the look; rather, we wanted to express it as the best version of the brand.”
The brand will be rolled out in the U.S. and international territories, says Keenan.
“The promo package is utilized worldwide. Superestudio worked with the Discovery International team to create a customized package that included more elements than the U.S. refresh required, with the ability to accommodate languages from around the world. The modular design system really gives every creator the tools they need to craft their own Food Network brand story.”