HBO Max
With HBO Max and Scout Productions, we created a full brand and marketing experience for HBO Max’s first unscripted show, Legendary.
Legendary is a fierce, impassioned competition show that celebrates the power and legacy of ballroom and voguing culture. The competition is centered around eight distinct “houses” as they vie for “legendary” status through ballroom performances and over-the-top fashion.
Our job was to tell the emotional story of these incredible performers and dynamic subculture, through expressive choreography, brilliant color, unique typography, and honest interviews – all within a variety of mediums and platforms. Across show packaging, toolkits for promos and Instagram stories, as well as upcoming film content.
The show logo demanded character and strength, but it also required simplicity so it wouldn’t compete with the identity of each Legendary “house.” The tall, bold letterforms embody a sense of power, while the unique A gives a nod to the doorway vernacular that we establish throughout the package.
Each house is completely different in dance, fashion and style. After a full immersion – interviewing the contestants and researching house history – we built an identity that accurately reflects their aesthetic. This included a logo, color palette, lighting set up, and distinct graphic shape. These shapes serve as doorways into each house’s unique world and provide an iconic thread throughout the identity.
Type plays a big role in this branding. To reflect each house’s personal brand, we created typographic logos that are epic in personality and character. Some curved, some angular, some modern, others whimsical, we reflect each house proudly.
The show open takes us on a journey through the performers movements, costumes, color and collaborative choreography. These immersive and visceral visuals set the tone for the dramatic and passionate show that follows. James Blake wrote the original score, inspired by our visuals, creating a true bond between edit, audio, dance and creative.
