The studio worked closely with network executives to design The CW's logo and on & off-air identities. Troika also produced a tease campaign that broke earlier this summer, giving viewers a first-look at the new network.
The CW project required the studio to develop a look that was in-sync with the sensibilities of The CW's core audience: young, hip, urban viewers of UPN, and Gen Y suburbanites that watch The WB. It was also necessary that The CW be perceived as a lifestyle or consumer brand, living in public consciousness beyond the TV screen.
Troika created a look that's positive, empowering and casual. The design is dominated by refreshing green hues, friendly curves, iconic symbols and natural surfaces, while graphical illustrations, such as abstract thumbprints, reinforce the uniqueness of the network and its viewers. Line animations that originate from and lead to The CW logo provide a consistent motif that connects show footage, talent footage and tune-in information back to The CW.
The design studio also coined The CW's "Free to Be…" mantra, an adaptable tag line that can be modified a number of ways, such as "Free to Be Real," "Free to Be Different" and "Free to Be Together".
The CW logo that debuted at the Upfronts in May features the curved, conjoined letters C and W. Troika also provided the 200-plus network affiliates with a toolkit of logo systems that can be customized with local channel numbers and city names.
To help create a buzz for The CW, the studio delivered two phases of teases that are airing on The WB and UPN networks this summer. The first round aired in June and featured music from the Black Eyed Peas. A second round of teases broke July 10th, featuring stars from the shows Smallville, America's Next Top Model, Gilmore Girls and Everybody Hates Chris.