Nick at Nite Gets Social Media-Fueled Brand Refresh

06.02.2016

You can say goodbye to Nick at Nite's classic look. Or as the Fresh Prince might say: #yohomes #smellyalater.

In an attempt to further engage with their social-media savvy audience, Nickelodeon updated Nick at Nite's (or nick@nite) aesthetic with the help of Transistor Studios.

"We need to expand our social media presence and increase conversation about Nick at Nite and its content, but we couldn't start completely from scratch. We had to be true to the product but present it in a fresh, modern way," said Kurt Hartman, Nickelodeon's Vice President of Animation & Motion Graphics, in a statement.

The answer came in a series of 32 IDs inspired by the programming's most beloved shows, such as Friends, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Full House.

"Through several rounds of exploration, we came up with a refresh that recreated iconic moments of the shows through the lens of social media. The iconic moments were art directed vignettes that mixed elements of live-action, Gif-inspired animation and the use of playful hashtags that real fans of the shows would recognize," said Aaron Baumle, Transistor's Executive Creative Director and Partner.

Those hashtags include Joey's (of the Full House variety) iconic catchphrase #cutitout, Phoebe's anthem #smellycat and the aforementioned #yohomes.

The result is a unique, clean and modern look that retains the nostalgia that fuels the channel's success.

"The novelty is its biggest strength. I don't believe anyone is going to see one of the IDs and think 'I've seen that before.' This is another example of taking what is seen as a retro brand and reinventing it," said Hartman, in the statement. "The color palette was fresh, the music was spot on, and the idea of reinventing and shooting these well-known moments felt very 'now' and gave us the chance to avoid using clips or photography that instantly dated the work."

Three separate Transistor teams produced the project: five designers, a seven-person crew on the live-action side, and five more artists and animators.

"The original idea of what would it look like if a social network was a linear channel is one of the biggest points of this redesign. Transistor did an amazing job of translating that to an on-air product," said Hartman, in a statement.

It's clear Nickelodeon and Transistor Studios are #BFF's, and it's easy to see why given the slick redesign.

[All images courtesy of Nickelodeon]