Troika Design Group – Sportscenter
The design campaign investigates all facets of the stereotypical male, and his perceived interests pooled together. The power of this sign as an index is its multi-faceted approach. While the brand is defined for a Sports Show, the introductory animation closely resembles the pistons and gears of an engine, another “typical” activity for a male to be infatuated with. As the flaming red sphere travels through these gears, sparks of electricity travel through the air, creating a visual display of explosions that excite any steroid-driven fiend. The paradigm of the piece assumes the general truth of what it means to be a socially accepted male in contemporary society, which entails fast speed, blistering countdowns, brushed metal, pistons, and explosions. The countdown animation practically explodes across the vast majority of the screen, capitalizing on a male’s anxiety in the final minutes of a close game. The flaming sphere guides the camera throughout the intro, representing this strength-driven, testosterone-fueled mass of energy, found at the core of any sports bar or summer BBQ. It is hard to define a literal denotative message of this piece, as there are no literal references to anything sports-related in the entire series of animations, aside from the sports logos or game footage provided and contained within the design identity. The connotative message, on the other hand, provides multiple associations, as stated above, for what it means to be a typical sports fan, by defining the masculine qualities inherent in each one of them. While sportscenter has a literal meaning of “a show about sports,” its implied meaning defines the core psyche of the modern adrenaline man. The myth is the stereotype. Assumptions are being made as to what a man is, what defines him, and then generalizes this assumption as the sole type of sports fan. Other than segment titles, the design uses unofficial language to drive the motions. The purpose of this design is to foster the excitement created at a sports event through competition, and harness it through a sports channel, while not directly using any sports imagery whatsoever, and instead define what it means to be a fan in other ways. I feel it has definitely reached its intended demographic of men 14-35 with these assumptions and generalizations about masculinity. The brand is substantiated and enforced with every right-wing definition of what it means to be a man in society that there has ever been.
Digital Kitchen – 6 Feet Under
The visual imagery of the 6 Feet Under introduction provides several indexical symbols for a conceptualization of death. This imagery transcends both the literal realms as well as cultural and societal. This is represented in many ways, such as time-lapse photography of plants dying, preparing a body for burial, passing tombstones, medical equipment, and a crow flying through some of the scenes. The paradigm of this piece defines the beauty in the classical morbid, evaluating death as an elegant conclusion to life. The major symbols used are the lone tree in the field, a black crow, a corpse, a bouquet of dying flowers, and a mortician/gravedigger. These elements define the visual representations of death in culture. These symbols/subjects, although cliché in their reference to death, are instead portrayed in a beautiful light, challenging the perceptions of this taboo topic. The intro’s denotative message is the literal presentation of actors who appear in the show, Six Feet Under. The text is harmonized with the footage, and incorporated to serve more of a subtle purpose. The connotative message as implied above, is to present imagery associated with the dark and depressing concept of death, but in a new way. The piece provides a sort of whimsical beauty to this otherwise morbidly portrayed event. I believe that the myths were to take typical means of identifying the act of dying to give a general idea about the concept of the show. The designers themselves challenge this very myth by reversing the preconceived notions about death. It combines the official language required by HBO for presenting the actor’s names, but then uses unofficial language to communicate the ideas behind death, the stereotypical figures associated with it, and the literal process from death to burial. The purpose, in my opinion, is to showcase the absolute beauty of death, a concept rarely tested or examined. The intended demographic of the piece is a bit older, which also goes hand in hand with the content of the show. The basis of Six Feet Under is the daily lives of 2 morticians, so I would make an educated guess that this attracts a demographic of 24-60. I believe that the solid design of Digital Kitchen accompanies the beautiful video and acting of many HBO series. The piece substantiated brand through a multiple-faceted approach to defining visual definitions of the concept of death, and then portraying them in a positively gorgeous light. The introduction serves as quite possibly the best interest-building promotion for a show I have ever seen. It would hold its weight as a solid piece with or without the show behind it.
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