MTV EMA Düsseldorf

Global identity for the MTV VMAs taking place in Düsseldorf – the birthplace of electronic music. The key strategic objectives of the design were to translate the cultural currency of the host city into fresh, dynamic visual language with universal appeal and represent the fearlessness of MTV. It also needed to amplify the overall creative concept for the show, integrating the key feature of the set design – the Techno Head.

The brand icon at the centre of the identity is the Techno Head – a custom drawn illustration that strategically places the event stage icon head within a universal globe, positioning the MTV as a truly international event with audiences around the world.

Designed to feel future-embracing, technological and digital, the identity has a machine-made quality that relates to process-driven electronic music. There is no sense of the organic, only a singular graphic clarity. Distortion of imagery is digital not analogue, firmly positioning the identity in the contemporary digital age.

This visual identity was applied to output across all marketing channels, including digital, social media, environment design, broadcast promos and print marketing by agencies around the world. To ensure continuity on all communications we included comprehensive guidance on how to utilise the toolkit with the assets.

Client: MTV
Agency: Hello Charlie
Visual Identity, Art Direction & Motion Design: Gavin Lamb
Imagery: MTV & Unsplash