DixonBaxi overhauls The CW with clean simplicity and bursts of colour

London agency DixonBaxi has rolled out a rebrand for another major US name in television, after working with Max and Hulu, as well as the UK’s ITVX last year. This time it’s for The CW, the network behind Dawson’s Creek – and the broadcaster behind the original Gossip Girl. DixonBaxi has altered the logo, removing “The” from “The CW”, and introduced an entirely new tone of voice which is reflected in design decisions like a hot sauce-coloured wordmark.

As we saw in the Sundance or Running Commentary rebrand last year, more agencies working with brands in film or television are beginning to frame their content in interesting ways. For Porto Rocha, it was a 16:9-aspect-ratio logo, for DixonBaxi and The CW it’s a logo that stretches into a “stage”. This flexible device can blow out to encompass whole frames or just hold characters or typography. This contracting and expanding motion is also encapsulated in the new brand ident.

The core aim for the identity is “a clean and simple system that relies heavily on a great TOV to bring the attitude,” says Eliot Bromley, senior producer. The sans serif F37 Bolton is a major part of the to-the-point foundation DixonBaxi was after, while the palette is how it layers additional personality.

CW is set in a hero orange called Hot Sauce which is meant to “bursts with flavour and spice”; these are paired with other colours also named after food stuffs, like Pepper and Salt. A sonic identity was developed by UK creative audio company We Are Audio which was designed to suggest brightness, like the colourways.

DixonBaxi says tone of voice was one of the most important parts of the work, particularly with a brand that had to speak to many different regions of the US. “The challenge was how we deliver messaging that gives space to our voice to shine through,” says senior designer Charlie Greenslade. The final CW aesthetic is meant to be “premium” and “deadpan”, with weight placed on a sense of “attitude”.