AKQA designs a new visual identity for Matthew Vaughn’s studio with the roll of a dice

Digital design agency AKQA has collaborated with Matthew Vaughn to create a new visual identity for his eponymous studio, Marv, comprising a new ident that will precede his films and a corresponding logo. The visual identity for the director, known for the likes of Layer Cake, Rocketman and Kick-Ass, features a pair of dice spiralling in mid-air, with opposing sides lingering on screen to spell out: Marv.

Rather fittingly, the design agency says a roll of the dice was also used for design decisions; Vaughn rolled a pair of dice to determine the final version of the design, with both the Marv and AKQA teams watching in anticipation. Allegedly, the new logo was made official with a roll of double sixes.

The new identity is to become a vital element in Vaughn’s output; in a recent release, AKQA points out the sensation of spectacle “doesn’t start when the movie does – it begins a few seconds before, with the ident.” The identity had to effectively embody the ethos of Vaughn’s studio while introducing elements of the Vaughn universe. Dice were chosen as “a dynamic expression of his evolving body of work”.

Each Vaughn film will be marked by a unique set of dice, inspired by its individual themes and visual language. In a notably big first screen appearance, the full ident can be seen in cinemas this December, where it will be launched globally with the release of The King’s Man.

“Our aim with the new mark is to express and evoke the essential meaning of Marv’s boundless spirit and imaginative essence,” explains Ajaz Ahmed, founder of AKQA. “The new identity works beautifully both as a distinctive, original ident and a memorable, playful logo. It is simple, adaptable, timeless and unforgettable, with a sense of charm and uniqueness that’s inspired by Matthew’s vision and extraordinarily vibrant body of work.”