SENSE Identity Guide

BROADER BAL ANCED TELEVISION

identity guide

1 VISION mission audience programming

MISSION

SENSE provides a critical perspective on both sides of today’s issues — addressing current events, mass media, politics, and pop culture. We take pride in our journalistic integrity, while maintaining a casual disposition to inform our open-minded audience.

Our philosophy values honesty, insight, critical analysis, and realistic optimism.

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AUDIENCE 8 SENSE

SENSE is designed for a broad audience of viewers ages 19–60.

Within that range, three specific demographics are targeted.

Young professionals — — — — —

Age 28–36 Progressive Tech-savvy Intellectual, but not elitist Well-informed on social issues

Baby boomers — Age 45–60 — “Socially liberal, fiscally conservative” — Tech-wary — Sophisticated, but not necessarily affluent — Informed, but unaware of some important social issues College students — — — —

—

Age 19–23 Liberal Tech-savvy Intelligent and eager for more knowledge Wide range of knowledge about social issues

Although SENSE does target specific demographics, more than anything, it’s for everyone who wants unbiased information. It is a place to see whole stories from multiple perspectives. People are sick of media conglomerates shouting in favor “this side” or “that side.” SENSE is not about that argument, it is just about the information.

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BROADER BALANCED TELEVISION SENSE programming is segmented into four categories that reflect the variety of our content and audience.

daily SENSE keeps viewers informed about current domestic and international issues as they unfold. daybreak news, sense newsday, and final edition air every day to cover current events. financial SENSE covers global economic issues and conditions.

Documentary-style programming provides timeless insights into the world economy, while newslike feature broadcasts keep our audience up to date on current financial issues. culture SENSE provides a global perspective to analyze both American and world culture. In looking at social issues, politics, traditional practices, and daily life domestically and internationally, we hope to broaden viewer’s world view. media SENSE always has a vigilant eye on the mainstream media. Programming stresses media literacy as a tool for understanding the world. A critical eye on the main stream serves to both draw attention to ignored issues, as well as scrutinize the structure and content of today’s press.

10 SENSE

PROGRAMMING

daily

financial

culture

media

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2 IDENTITY logo brand equity standards

LOGO Concept

Typography

sense is about looking at issues through various perspectives, and the logomark displays this with a tilted n letterform, causing the viewer to take a second look at the logo from another angle. Also, with the n as a central connection, the se’s on each side represent equality and balance.

Akzidenz Grotesk is used to communicate the neutral ideology of the sense network. The Swiss sansserifs are known as “crystal goblet” typefaces that transparently communicate content, devoid of artifice.

Akzidenz Grotesk was the model for Max Miedinger’s Helvetica. Unlike modern day Helvetica, Akzidenz Grotesk retains some of the quirks and idiosyncrasies of its original lead type.

Geometry The logomark reflects the rigid geometry of its Akzidenz Grotesk type treatment. A 33º angle is used consistently to tilt the n, and at the all terminals of the s’s.

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BRAND EQUITY

16 SENSE

Importance of concept

The SENSE logo is only part of the identity. In applications, the brand is communicated primarily through spatial depth of typography, multiple “planes” converging, and prominent use of impactful photography.

Rather than a straightforward, “logo-first” identity, all of sense’s creative material originates from a concept: the convergence of multiple perspectives to form a comprehensive look at today’s issues. In the logo, a tilted n connects two equal se components.

Onscreen, motion and deep space are used to show the logo forming itself together. In print, perspective, scale, and space used to dissect the logo into parts, but keeping the n intact as a connection.

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BROADER BAL ANCED TELEVISION

BROADER BAL ANCED TELEVISION

BROADER BAL ANCED TELEVISION

STANDARDS 18 SENSE

Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Bold

Thesis Serif thesis serif small caps Typography

Color

Most type is set in Berthold Akzidenz Grotesk Bold.

This includes the network tagline, headlines, short informational text, and most on-screen text. Thesis Serif is used for body copy or any other long-form language on any sense materials. It is also used on company stationery. Akzidenz Grotesk was selected for its neutrality and geometry (see typography, p. 15).

Thesis Serif was selected because of its contemporary aesthetic and humanist feeling.

All sense materials include all text and/or graphics in either black or white. This bold aesthetic has a journalistic quality that reflects the network’s ideology that our material is about content, rather than playing up a vibrant brand identity. As much as possible, the sense brand is a vehicle for the issues it discusses.

Photography sense’s graphic identity is meant to be kept very simple, with most brand executions prominently featuring full-color photography. Photos feel of-the-moment and often touch on current events and social issues. Overall, the photography direction leans toward a journalistic/documentary approach to subject matter, lighting, and composition.

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a

3 IMPLEMENTATION motion print online

MOTION Network ident

SENSE motion executions embody the brand equity in dynamic media by moving the logo elements and other typography through space to align and form the complete logotype.

A brief 10-second ident serves as a general introduction to the channel. This motion graphic features colored tumbling planes that twist together to form the word sense. A voiceover reads, “You are watching sense. Broader balanced television.� sense Ident 0:10

Programming bumpers

Featured program commercial

Other interstitial motion graphics serve to break up programming, which is segmented into chunks (see programming, p. 10). Each bumper is themed to fit the programming segment it corresponds to.

sense promotes their own programming directly with 30-second spots showcasing the channel’s best content.

Motion graphics for these ads uses similar visual language as the bumpers. Bold Akzindenz Grotesk type moves in space on fullscreen video footage.

“Media” bumper 0:10

“Financial” bumper 0:10

“Culture” bumper 0:10

“Please Vote for Me” commercial 0:30

PRINT

Metro ad 1

Taking a motion-first approach, SENSE print materials derive from the video graphics. Space is created with typography in perspective in front of full-bleed “journalistic� photography.

Metro ad 2

Metro ads in environment

ONLINE