2020-11-06 16:57:37
On the occasion of his 36th birthday, Canal + reinvents its visual identity in the image of its strategic transformation, both international and digital. With the creation of a “moving logo” revisiting its original signature and typography, the Canal+ Group affirms its evolution and its singularity. The artistic direction put together a performance that was both creative and technical through light shows, a spectacular installation and a unique sound universe.
For the occasion, Fubiz shows you behind the scenes images of this unique installation:
And an exclusive Interview with Olivier Degrave, creative director of this new identity:
Fubiz: Can you tell us regarding yourself and your role in the creation of this new Canal + brand identity?
Olivier: I am Corporate Creative Director of the Canal+ group, I have been present in the company for more than 20 years for which I have held several positions within the Artistic Direction.
For this project, my role was to imagine an identity which symbolizes our development and the power of the CANAL+ brand in France and internationally, particularly via the application myCANAL. This element of identification is primarily there to support the viewer when reading the content, but we needed to find a new language of expression for the umbrella brand which symbolizes our digital progress.
The world is becoming digitalized and with it we obviously have algorithms to help us on the platform but behind the machines, there remains a human editorialization which through its daily action reinforces the added value, the plus of Canal+ which is the human. This is the complexity of this new logo: it seems to be serialized with this row of LEDS when in reality, it is manufactured in an artisanal way, hence its imperfection, its singularity. Imperfection creates fascination.
Like others, we might have used synthetic means to express this signature but that would not have reflected what CANAL+ is, a brand that is both a creator and aggregator of content. The shooting of a real and colossal installation makes this creation unique, inimitable and incomparable, like our group.
How did you manage to maintain the DNA/codes of the brand while bringing it this new dimension?
The digitalization of the world can cause a certain loss of memory. To overcome this, it is important to refer back, to remember where we come from, to reaffirm our codes. It is first of all an evolution and not a revolution of our identity.
Several years ago now, I developed the brand’s “creative playground” by defining pillars. Typography because historically it is the strength of Canal+’s internal creative studio. We owe it to Etienne Robial who was able to impose a way of working graphic design at the heart of society.
Geometry because the perception of our identity carries this idea. This is directly linked to our way of thinking regarding layout, templates, formatting in formats. Light as an immersive medium has replaced the color present in the early days of CANAL+. Light, the basis of our work to fascinate or dazzle the eye. Finally, the last pillar, the real device, which allows you to create fascinating and unique elements. It also strengthens the pioneering spirit of artistic teams while promoting know-how. The element of chance that this type of installation generates also contributes to the idea of an inimitable brand.
What were the technical and human resources put in place in this project?
A 4 meter long box inside, lined with mirrors and LEDS which create perpetual light. The Canal+ logo, positioned on the face of the box, is backlit. All suspended more than 1 meter from the ground, in a 1000M2 set at the cinema city, flooded with 2000 LEDS which form 3 immense cubes of light encompassing the logo. The floor is a 240 m2 swimming pool which, with the reflection, accentuates the effect of mise en abyme and depth. A parallel to the multiplicity of content on the application. Everything is filmed in 6K by a telescopic crane mounted on rails.
The lights are synchronized to the symphonic music recorded at the Seine Musicale. Basically, we first did this installation in 3D with Guy-Joseph Aignel in the Artistic Direction to properly prepare the needs. We then worked with Michel Janin and Sylvie Tassie from the company Setup for the decoration part, notably logo box, swimming pool and installation. The LEDS part was managed by Denis Pillod from the company LED and DESIGN. Finally, the programming part of the LEDS was carried out by Thomas Besson and Chloé Harel from the company DLAB on graphic design models imagined by the artistic direction. The additional challenge is that all of this was incredibly well orchestrated by everyone despite a period of intense confinement.
Finally, the music is a work of close collaboration that we have been maintaining for several years with the composer Norbert Gilbert, who knows our history and our identity well. The recording was made at the Seine Musicale with an orchestra composed of 32 musicians, mainly strings.
What do you want to convey through this new identity?
This installation carries the power strategy at the same time as the singularity of our group. With our numerous channels, productions and more than 50,000 contents available at any time, it is also regarding reaffirming CANAL+ as an umbrella brand with its myCANAL platform. This installation expresses this unique anchoring in the society of images.
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