We were asked to refresh the branding scheme for 1Xtra – the BBC’s digital black music station – to launch alongside a new station identity designed by Fallon. With multiple stakeholders from the BBC, Fallon and the 1Xtra audience, the brief required a solution that was sympathetic to all kinds of visual input, yet directional enough to reinforce the new identity.

We developed a series of images to represent the genres played by the station, refining and testing them against Fallon’s ‘work-in-progress’ identity. To help keep the brand imagery in key, we attended a shoot for a TV ad, recording a wealth of still imagery with photographer Jo Metson Scott. These were incorporated into the show-specific artwork already underway and used in press ads timed to coincide with the TV ad. Generic sets – representing daytime, evening and club – ran when the spot was shown again on BBC TV.

The branding imagery has since been used extensively in press ads, outdoor event campaigns and online.