Studio Kiln strips back ITV’s complex identity to find its centre

After 70 years of broadcasting, ITV found themselves in a familiar but uncomfortable spot – they’d grown so much that their own brand had become difficult to navigate. Multiple sub-channels, streaming platforms and an increasingly complex visual identity meant that one of Britain’s most established broadcasters was, ironically, struggling to clearly communicate who they were. The problem wasn’t unique, but it was urgent. In an entertainment landscape where Netflix and Disney+ communicate with razor-sharp brand clarity, ITV’s identity had become what Tom Houser, Executive Creative Director at ITV Creative, describes as “timid and difficult to use.” Seven different typefaces were in circulation. Sub-channel colours created confusion rather than clarity. The masterbrand – the thing that actually mattered – was getting lost. Enter Studio Kiln, the Cornwall-based creative practice whose approach to this challenge would prove rather direct. Rather than adding more elements to an already complex system, they stripped everything back to find what actually mattered. “We knew from the outset that ITV needed a brand device to unify their content across streaming and terrestrial channels,” explains Charlie Hocking, Creative Director at Studio Kiln. “Early explorations looked at frames, containers and even more abstract ways of presenting content and brand. Unfortunately, they either felt heavy-handed or too decorative.”