By tradition, a broadcast graphics package consists of a limited set of toolbox elements such as transitions, topgraphics, end pages etc. Orthodox television design typically provides a strict set of rules and elements to define and unify the look, partly out of logistic necessity, partly out of the desire to penetrate the brand and thus make the channel easily identifiable.

The commercial subcultures of action sports, however, grew out of Generation X in the early Nineties. Companies like Burton, Girl or Vans have responded to the audience’s cynical and knowing attitude towards marketing by developing subversive branding strategies or by ignoring the idea altogether. One of these strategies is a constant reinvention and redefinition of the brand, akin to the way the fashion industry works. Another strategy seems to be a lack of tight control over a brand’s output and shape: Products, advertising and writing sometimes seem to be improvised or released very quickly, with a healthy attitude towards occasional failure.

The design of the broadcast package was designed with a similar spirit. Instead of designing one promo package that is re-used and repeated for every promo, we devised six different ways of doing them to avoid penetration. Instead of using a recognizable color palette, we made most elements keyable over footage, so that the channel looks like its ever-developing content and not like its pre-fabricated identity.

The resulting tone can be described as unpretentious, self-made, low-tech, generic and textural. It is a relatively unstructured, free-form improvisation with a set of very simple layers of handmade stuff rather than an organized grid of tightly defined design elements. The frame compositions, the typography and the animations are very raw and basic.

Another observation we made in our research is how diverse the subcultures of action sports are. While all of them are unified by the very fact that they are subcultures, and also by shared keywords such as rebellion, risk or freedom, some of them are quite different from each other. The quiet and environmentalist tone of some surf cultures, the urban and artistic attitude of some skateboarding communities and the aggressive and destructive tendencies of some motocross fans have very little in common with each other. By using a high degree of abstraction, the graphic language unifies traces of all these subcultures.

These are the categories of elements:

Hand-drawn patterns
These patterns serve as stark and abstract signifiers for various strains of youth culture. In order to unify these contradictory references, they were drawn with a simple ballpoint pen. There is a square grid signifying New Wave culture or evoking high school memories of notepads; the wood grain reminds of surf- or skateboards; there is a camouflage pattern that has been a staple of street style since the Vietnam war and has now been claimed by skate and hip hop culture; a star field is reminiscent of the proud display of Americana in various motor sports etc. The patterns appear in black or white and are used as textures and transitional elements.

Buttons
Outside of party politics, buttons are signifiers for rebellion, subversion and protest, be it anti-war activism or punk nihilism. We designed around sixty buttons that are used on-air and are manufactured as give-aways. The themes are very diverse and eclectic, their usage is random.

Paint and ink
We provided a set of abstract paint and ink textures: Brush strokes, dripping paint, ink splashes. As traces of an individual’s hand, these are signifiers for self-expression and freedom. The exposure of the materials and processes of painting has been the primary interest of 20th century expressionism as well as of contemporary artists with graffiti backgrounds.

Colors
Black, white and magenta. Almost none of the graphics are full-frame, which means that the color climate of the network will be determined by the footage used rather than the graphics. While magenta is a default color, in combination with stark black and white is carries a strong connotation of 1970s punk culture.

Typography
Masterful and skilled typography with a sensibility for the delicacy of letter forms has never been a strength or even a part of subcultures and would come across as pretentious and inauthentic. We picked a set of five sturdy and stereotypical typefaces, and never use them in combinations but in uppercase only, with default tracking and leading. Two of them – the angular square and the obligatory stencil – were designed by Jens Gehlhaar.