PORTO ROCHA’s identity for Vevo reintroduces the music video network to its widespread audience

Leading international music video network Vevo sought a visual revival of their brand, turning to NYC-based design studio PORTO ROCHA to reintroduce them to the world; following research that showed a global confusion in what exactly it is that Vevo does. Providing 24/7 access to the world’s greatest music video collection, Vevo hosts an expansive library of over half a million videos – with an average of more than 26 billion views every month. Spanning original content and up-and-coming musicians to the world’s musical greats, Vevo has quite the clientele, and therefore also faced the issue of speaking to multiple audiences. In fact, Vevo needed to converse with not only the specific fans of every genre but also the ad drivers and the music industry itself.

With research indicating the value of the existing wordmark’s international and inter-generational recognition, PORTO ROCHA took the opportunity to expand beyond the latter, and to occupy a space more true to the brand. A space of cultural, musical and editorial ambition, as well as a space indicative of their expertise in their respective field. The result carefully balances the presence of Vevo’s brand alongside the recognition and emphasis of the artists they support.

This was structurally and aesthetically achieved through the dynamic introduction of an adaptable, ever-expanding modular system, inspired by the notion of amplification. Fundamentally kinetic, the system is effortless and endlessly responsive; scaling vertically and horizontally in different ways across different content, whilst remaining harmoniously in continuity with one another.

Innately in-tune with the graphic execution of Vevo’s systematic identity is the complex complementary colour system, which provides hierarchy and information across the breadth of the brand and its applications. “Colours can respond to artist imagery,” PORTO ROCHA tell us, “but we also developed a comprehensive system wherein each music genre/subgenre corresponds with a specific colour within the palette,” they add. “This approach makes it easy to create genre-specific communications,” such as red denoting rock music, “helping viewers differentiate between the types of music content at a glance.”

PORTO ROCHA’s monochromatic approach to the more corporate context of Vevo’s brand is similarly indicative of their choice to introduce Optimo’s sans serif Plain as their primary typeface. The purely pragmatic and functional architecture and intent of which makes for a diligent balance of graphic composition in the light of variable colour, content and character. All while – importantly – providing humanity and warmth to the brand through its grotesque construction.

PORTO ROCHA

Vevo