Nomad partner with reality TV platform Hayu on a new look that is “loud, proud and full of sass”

Hayu is the only streaming platform dedicated entirely to reality TV, offering every series, episode and spin-off imaginable. London-based branding agency Nomad were invited to partner on a complete brand overhaul for the platform, from strategy and identity to tone of voice and marketing campaign rollout. The team took the opportunity to hone in on the eccentric, people-focused energy of reality TV and provide a sharper, wittier brand voice – summarised by the new tagline, “Stream the Dream,” which captures the essence of Hayu’s rich, aspirational and vibrant content.

The new strategy-driven approach is built around an ownable device for the Hayu brand; a flexible, bold and distinctive ‘H’ that unifies the visual language and allows the platform to take ownership of its content. Brand attribution was a key challenge for the Nomad team to tackle, with a huge range of typographic and photographic assets to factor in. The ‘H’ device at the core of the identity was created to keep the massive variety of art and photography contained in a way that’s distinctive to Hayu. The system behind it allows it to flex to any shape, size and surrounding while retaining its ‘H’ shape and allowing it to be filled with imagery, typography or applied as a pattern.

Driven by a loud and proud tone of voice, the identity is typographically delivered through a customised version of Sharp Type’s Beatrice; which sees a switched-out ‘a’ – losing the curly tail of the original. The typeface was chosen as it compliments the new personality really effectively, with just the right amount of character to its forms.

With a vast library of shows on offer, creating a harmonious colour palette for the platform was not straightforward. The brand naturally has to work alongside a huge variety of assets from the diverse selection of shows, so the expanded colour palette has been designed so that there are always a set of colours that compliment whatever is being shown – be it the golden beaches and blue skies from The Real Housewives of Miami or dingy neon backstreets from a true crime show.

Nomad

Hayu