Project Brazen
We created a bold brand for an international production company specialising in ambitious fact-based narratives.
In 2021, we were approached by New York Times bestselling authors, and ex-Wall Street Journal journalists Andrew Bradley and Tom Wright, to help create a bold and unique identity for their new co-venture, Project Brazen; an international journalism studio and production company that would specialise in ambitious fact-based narratives.
Since Bradley and Wright’s exposé of the 1MDB swindle in 2015, and their 2018 book Billion Dollar Whale which covered in depth the scandal, they saw an opportunity to create a production house focussed on bringing unbelievable stories out of Asia to the world stage, as they saw it truth was stranger than fiction.
The goal for the branding was clear, we needed to create a positioning and identity that was reflective of Bradley and Wright’s approach to storytelling and journalism; direct, bold, targeted, and compelling.
Inspired by the red recording light we based the visual strategy around this. Red graphical spotlights on subjects and photography to add some quirk and visual interest, paired with clean and no-nonsense typography and layouts.
Following the successful launch of Project Brazen, we were approached again to help create a sub-brand for their long-form written series Whale Hunting. In keeping with the visual cue of a circle for the brand, we developed a system using binocular perspective to give the impression of searching and hunting, and personal and real sketches from Bradley and Wright’s handwritten notes during their research on the 1MDB scandal.
Process
1
Research
2 weeks
2
Brand Strategy
1 week
3
Brand Identity Design
2 weeks
4
Website Design
3 weeks
5
Sub-brand hierarchy and Design
2 weeks
We wanted to reflect the essence of Project Brazen being 'always on' to the world's most interesting and unexpected stories with the logotype design. The red dot was key to this, and having it used dynamically in a digital format too.
