ViacomCBS’s recent acquisition of Pluto TV is central to their ambition to play bigger in the streaming wars. We partnered with the Pluto TV teams to develop a distinctly characterful streaming platform brand that lives on the global stage. Unlike other platforms, with 250+ curated channels and thousands of on-demand movies, you can drop-in, anytime. It’s free.
A powerful, brand idea.
A new logo for a retro-future experience.
We crafted a new logo and symbol to feel premium and legible. With angular cuts that suggest forward momentum, a vibrant colour trail and tv icon rooted in the planetary origins of the brand, the logo is a memorable visual mnemonic for a lean-back TV experience.
Designed for instant recognition and 100% attribution.
It was essential for the brand to work at the most reductive sizes and have the most impact and build immediate recognition and ownership of content.
A unique logo signature is a “hyper-jump” into Pluto TV.
The Pluto TV ident and sonic identity transports us into a world of entertainment. With the retro-future pop of colour and a hyper-jump through the ‘Portal’ towards the Pluto TV logo creates a dramatic, fun pre-roll to everything Pluto.
The Portal: A visual system that transports you to a world of entertainment.
The Portal transports, connects and unifies the Pluto TV experience across 250+ channels, brands, and every device. At its most reductive the Portal appears as part of the UI and at its most expressive across promos on-air, advertising, third-party apps, platforms, and every touchpoint.
A bold, flexible design system that keeps it weird.
A ‘lean-back’ experience puts the audience in control.
Unifying the brand across every kind of platform and creating a brand experience that gives the Pluto TV viewer what they want – a shared, leaned-back linear television experience but with the control of a streaming service.”
Unified architecture amplifies brand partnerships.
With over 250 channels, there was a need to rationalise how the visual relationships and hierarchy of the different brands, pop-up and white-label channels alongside Pluto TV. We developed a robust eco-system that creates unity while allowing the brands to have their own distinct personality on the platform.
Pluto TV Sans. A custom typeface full of character.
We crafted a distinct custom typeface in eight weights, in collaboration with Martin Vácha from Displaay, allowing it to adapt to a myriad of scenarios and still retain absolute legibility. With angular cuts and clean, geometric forms that echo those in the new logo, the new typeface exudes simplicity with idiosyncratic details.
Dropping into cities across the US and world.
Pluto TV has grown from 18 million to nearly 50 million active users since the launch of the new brand.
ViacomCBS cited the interface update, new brand and features, improved user experience, and international growth as reasons behind the increase in monthly users.
