Revisioning Xfinity
No longer wanting to be seen just as a utility, Xfinity began their journey to become a brand that people seek and love. When taking a look across product experiences, marketing, and internal communications the brand was inconsistent and dated.
Focusing first on the foundation, we neutralized the palette, simplified messaging, and refined layouts to make Xfinity bold and vibrant; coupled with warm candid photography, the brand began its evolution to become more approachable and human.
To start the process, we took it back to basics. Neutralizing the palette and turning down the use of red as a primary brand color immediately cleared the noise. Partnering with Lineto we developed a custom version of Brown that would allow for more contrast in our digital experiences, while making an impact in communications.
Building off the equity of the existing word mark, we looked to refined the style versus replacing it completely. Taking cues from the typeface, corners were softened and blended organically with sharp clean lines, making the brand more approachable.
In the past, Xfinity had relied on purchasing stock to fill photography needs ⎯ with the brand refresh they sought to develop a library that expressed the brand and created consistency across tactics. Void of personality, and inconsistent direction, the use of stock photography left creative feeling cold and unownable.
Collaborating with renown photographer Michael O'Neal, I led the art direction, casting, and styling of a week long brand shoot representing a spectrum of demographics and lifestyles. We strived to capture real people in real moments. A combination of unique casting practices, consistent point of view on styling, and unexpected camera angles, we were able to produce imagery that was candid and human, bringing a much needed warmth to the neutral brand palette.
Content heavy tactics were tamed by introducing standard design grids and leveraging blocking. Taking inspiration from the angle lines found in Xfinity's hardware and logo, we introduced a dynamic angle to help tie elements together
With a spectrum of tactics across multiple channels, I wanted to create a system that allowed for flexibility and could adapt to varying size needs. For balance, and to reduce repetition, use of the dynamic angle was not always required.
To document Xfinty's brand evolution I was tasked to build a style guide. Starting from scratch, I was solely responsible for creating and writing all content. To ensure consistency and limit error in interpretation, I also developed design templates that accompanied the guide and were shared with external agencies.
