Sky’s Syfy channel rebrand designed by in-house team
The British broadcaster’s science fiction channel rebrand seeks to evoke the 1980s with the addition of an AI character hosting the newly named ‘Sky Sci-Fi’. The brand’s in-house team, Sky Creative, was guided by its sci-fi fan base.
The brand update aims for the channel to be recognised as the home of science fiction, fantasy and horror. Sky Sci-Fi is said to offer a plethora of on-demand content, fan favourites and new shows for viewers on Sky and NOW, and it needed a rejuvenated brand identity to match its new ambitions.
Sky Creative worked hard on delivering a tone of voice which made classic references to the genres while also retaining the premium look and feel of a Sky channel. This resulted in the use of a 1980s-style AI character hosting the channel, adding a playful nature to the rebranded channel.
Mark Jones, design director at Sky Creative, says, “Just like our previous channel rebrands within the Sky portfolio, Sky Sci-Fi needed a clear and distinctive idea at its heart. We can’t wait to bring the other-worldliness of the genre to life, via the hyphen that nestles between Science and Fiction.”
The broadcaster was so keen to be relevant to its sci-fi fan base that it even brought in Alex Greene, the creator of Star Trek language Klingon, to ensure the highest levels of accuracy in its promotional material.
Jones adds, “The whole architecture of the channel has changed for linear and on demand; from bumpers, idents, promos, screen architecture and much more. Look out for our Klingon bumpers and the playful sci-fi voice commands of Sky Q and Sky Glass.”
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