VRV Brand Launch

I joined Ellation to build VRV, the company's first new streaming product since Crunchyroll's launch. VRV is a "skinny bundle" platform that aggregates content from Crunchyroll and other fan-oriented brands. I worked on VRV's development from concept through to launch and post-launch.

Logo Development

For the VRV brand design project, I enlisted both my internal team and trusted freelance designers to pitch treatments. The brief called for a classic, bold and readable mark that would stand out among other logos in information-rich environments. I prefer to begin with black and white designs and use a 3-round iterative process to refine and reduce options before exploring color and usability. Stakeholder feedback is crucial for ensuring institutional support and success of the final choice.

Round 1 Logomarks

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Round 2 Logomarks

Logo of Verve, featuring a stylized white 'V' within a black circle.
A black and white Verve logo with a circular shape and buttons in the center.
Large white letter V with the word VERVE beneath it on a black background.
Stylized letter V with the word Verve beneath it.
The word 'VERVE' written in bold, white, stylized text against a black background.
Black hexagon logo with a white downward arrow shape inside and the word 'verve' below.

Round 2 Mockups

  • Set of three logo designs featuring a black hexagon with a yellow, pink, and white chevron pattern inside, accompanied by the word 'verve' in a stylized black font, with smaller versions of the logos below in black and colored backgrounds.
  • Three images of smartphones, two showing app screens and one displaying the Verve app logo on the screen.
  • Three screens displaying Verve streaming platform interface: two with TV screens showing content and one with a laptop screen showing the Verve website, accompanied by a cup and saucer on a wooden table.
  • Mockup showing merchandise items with 'Vervé' logo. Top left: black cap with yellow logo; top right: black and white mugs with yellow and pink logos; bottom left: gray women's T-shirt with pink logo; bottom right: gray women's T-shirt with yellow logo.
  • Three variations of a logo with a circular emblem and the word 'VERUE' in bold black font, each on different background colors: yellow, teal, and black. Below, three smaller logos in black circles with different accent colors for the emblem and text.
  • Three images showing smartphones being held in hand, with app screens visible on each device. The first shows a home screen with app icons, the second displays a social media app, and the third shows a logo with the text 'VERUE' on a dark background.
  • Three electronic screens and a laptop with Verve branding. The first screen displays app icons including Verve, movies, TV shows, music, and search. The second screen shows a streaming service interface with a Naruto episode. The laptop screen shows a Verve login page. There is a cup and a small pitcher on the table next to the laptop.
  • Mockup merchandise with VERVE logo, including a black cap, two coffee mugs—one black with yellow logo, one white with black logo—and two t-shirts—one black with blue logo, one gray with yellow logo.
  • Color logo designs with the letter V, the word VERVE below each, in yellow, teal, and orange backgrounds, shown again in smaller versions below.
  • Three smartphones displaying different screens. The first shows a hand holding an iPhone with app icons; the second shows an iPhone with a video app open; the third shows a hand holding a smartphone with the Verve logo on the screen, in front of a laptop and a workspace.
  • Three electronic devices branded Verve: two flat-screen TVs displaying streaming interfaces and a laptop showing a Verve platform page, with a Verve coffee mug and teapot on a wooden surface.
  • Set of branded merchandise including black and white mugs with yellow logo, black beanie with yellow logo, gray t-shirt and gray woman's top, both featuring the same yellow logo.
  • Design of five variations of a logo with the word 'VERVE' and a stylized checkmark icon, in yellow, purple, green, black, and white backgrounds.
  • Three mobile phone mockups showing different screens, with the first two featuring hand-held phones displaying app icons and a streaming service, and the third showing a phone with a logo on a dark background.
  • Mockups of a Sony smart TV displaying various streaming app interfaces and a laptop on a wooden table showing Verve's premium video experiences webpage, with a white cup and teapot beside it.
  • Mockup collection of merchandise with a black hat, two coffee mugs, a black T-shirt, and a gray T-shirt, all featuring a bold black and yellow or black and white logo with the word "VERVE".
  • Three colorful logo designs with a stylized black and white triangular emblem and the word 'verve' beneath, shown in yellow, pink, and black backgrounds, with three simplified black and white logo icons below.
  • Three images of smartphones. The first shows a hand holding a smartphone with a colorful app grid on the screen. The second shows the same hand holding a smartphone displaying a video streaming app with colorful illustrations. The third displays a hand holding a smartphone with a yellow logo on the screen, connected to a laptop and a white device, in a dimly lit room.
  • Three electronic devices displaying streaming service interfaces: a flat-screen TV with a colorful app menu, a second TV showing a streaming platform with animated content, and a laptop with a purple screen indicating a streaming service login page, set on a wooden surface with a coffee cup and a teapot nearby.
  • Mockups of branded merchandise with the Verve logo, including a black hat, two coffee mugs (one black, one white), a black t-shirt, and a gray t-shirt.

Round 3 Final Logomarks

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Final Logo

Why Is The VRV Logo So Yellow?

Right from the start, we determined that the VRV logo should be attention-grabbing and legible in various settings, including those where it would be contending with larger brand logos for notice.

Brand Development

Pre-Launch Videos

During the 16 months we spent developing VRV, we crafted hype pieces to support business efforts such as attracting new partners.

Producer/Editor: Anibal Nuñez
Design/Motion Graphics: John Ducusin

“The Meatball”

To prepare for the product launch and save time on licensor approvals, we commissioned artist Nick Sirotich to create an illustrated asset featuring around eighty characters that represented the genres we hoped to include on the platform. Though intended as a temporary measure, this key art foreshadowed our ongoing artist collaborations in building the brand.

Product Attribute Mascots (Yokai)

Cartoon ice cream cone with a yellow scoop, blue eyes, a big smiling mouth, and a cherry on top, showing excitement.
Cartoon coffee cup with a face, arms, and hands, holding a small coffee cup, with a zipper on its body, pink and bloodshot eyes, and a happy expression.
A cartoon donut with pink icing, eyes, arms, legs, yellow shoes, and sprinkles.
A muscular cartoon horse with pink hair and blue and gray wings wearing a white apron, holding a tray with fast food items and eating a burger.

Brand Voice Guide

  • A dark background with a yellow and black geometric logo resembling a stylized bee, and the text 'what is vrv?'
  • A large crowd of people dressed in various costumes, celebrating together at a fan event with a yellow overlay at the bottom featuring the text 'VRV is authentic.'
  • Crowd of people at a gaming convention with large Titanfall robot display and various gaming banners in the background.
  • An animated character with black hair and wearing armor, holding a weapon, against a background of a sky with clouds.
  • Design with the word 'personality' in bold black text on a yellow background, adjacent to a navy blue section containing a humorous message about VRV and coffee.
  • A promotional image for VRV humor genre featuring animated characters in a space setting with a yellow and white background, and text describing humor as irreverent, awkward, sarcastic, and absurd.
  • A large group of people dressed in colorful costumes, including superheroes, villains, and various characters, participating in a festive, playful event. The image has overlaid text that reads "attitude" and describes qualities like playful, sincere, optimistic, and knowledgeable.
  • Close-up of a board game with colorful game pieces and tokens on a map, with bold yellow and white overlay text discussing engagement and exclusivity.
  • Yellow and black logo above the text 'vrv needs you!' on a dark background.

Product Launch

In Fall of 2016, we initiated a soft launch of the VRV product, enabling us to experiment with diverse design approaches before its full launch and the need for paid media.

Post-Launch

In Spring 2017, several months after VRV's launch, we gained a better understanding of our customer base. Despite our initial assumption that VRV would mainly attract gamers, we found that the majority of our audience consumed anime, likely due to our sister company, Crunchyroll. This prompted us to adjust our marketing design assets to align with this genre preference, resulting in the creation of "More Anime" (previously "All The Anime"), our first attempt at broadening the design.

Collage of colorful banners advertising VRV streaming for anime, featuring characters from anime series and bold text promoting a 30-day free trial.

Summer 2017
Better Together

Autumn 2017
Kirby Crackle

Collage of anime characters surrounding text that says "Best of Summer Anime".

Winter 2018 Evergreen

Heading into 2018, we evolved the brand's aesthetic to be more bright and poppy to align with our audience and content strategy, which was focused on 90s nostalgia. We have since continued with this design approach.

Topical Video Creative

Topical Marketing Creative

A collage of promotional images for various VR content, including animated series like "Nick" and "Cat Agent," sci-fi titled "Join Stargate" and "Unlock the Stargate Universe," showcasing characters from "Killjoys," "My Hero Academia," "Darling in the Franxx," and advertising VR streaming options for these shows.

VRV Events And Collaborations

From its inception, VRV has collaborated widely with artists of various sorts. In 2018 we really leaned hard into that process. The idea is to be constantly iterating around our brand creative, and these collaborations provide a mechanism for that.

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VRV Gallery at Anime Expo

  • People entering the VRV Gallery at an exhibition, with a sign displaying the gallery name in the foreground.
  • A large illuminated mascot resembling a round, white cat with semi-closed eyes and orange cheeks stands on a table at a convention. The table displays colorful tokens or pins. A woman with turquoise hair, glasses, a white shirt, and a backpack stands nearby, looking at her phone. Others are visible in the background, and a colorful animated poster hangs on the wall.
  • People exploring and viewing colorful art exhibits in a dimly lit gallery with vibrant rainbow lighting.
  • People viewing colorful artwork and installations in an art gallery with vibrant, neon-like lighting.
  • A cardboard box decorated with cartoon drawings of smiling faces and the words 'YES! YES! NO!' contains decorative and plush animal figures, including a pink butterfly, yellow chick, and other colorful creatures, illuminated by vibrant purple, pink, blue, and yellow lighting.
  • Young woman smiling and writing on a large yellow poster with colorful markers, at a lively event with purple and orange lighting.
  • Art exhibition in a gallery with colorful lighting, neon digital artwork on the walls, and a central sculpture of a white cat figure with pink spots.
  • A large, white, cartoon-style cat figure with exaggerated features, standing on a round mirror platform with scattered beads, in a dimly lit space with colorful lights and a curved ceiling in the background.
  • An indoor exhibition space with artwork and displays illuminated by colorful lighting, including a large character figure on a pedestal, framed posters on white walls, and a large geometric sculpture on the right.