Pixel Playhouse, an online, live cabaret show channel on Twitch, initially approached me asking if I’d be able to create some artwork for their studio space based on popular Broadway musicals. As that process went along, PPH’s leadership asked me to help them pull the trigger on a proper brand package for the channel. PPH was picking up speed, along with a solid viewership, and they wanted to have a brand presence that could combine technology and theater. ‘Pixel’ with ‘Playhouse’. They wanted to give the viewer, through the branding, a sense of place - a key visual component that would represent the world the audience was about to step into - like walking through the gates of the Disney castle.

Right away I knew the solution to fusing Pixel and Playhouse visually would be found in flat design. Naturally simplistic yet boundless in what you can do with it, flat design could provide depth and form to the structure of the theater while staying digital in its appearance.

I started by researching classic silhouettes and marquee shapes from theaters of the early 20th century. While the marquee designs were certainly full of character, more often than not the theater facade was not any different from most downtown buildings you might come across.

So, knowing that PPH wanted their playhouse to be more engaging and distinguishable, I experimented with the look of vintage movie theaters, with their striking vertical architecture and grandiose Art Deco marquees. Luckily there’s quite a few of them still around in LA, and I knew that in them we could achieve a silhouette that screamed “THEATER”.

But while I had a theater, I didn’t have a “Pixel Playhouse”. Back to the drawing board, it was. The theater shape was made more square, keeping the idea of ‘pixel’ at the forefront and steering clear of the design looking too similar to a movie house. A big, bold marquee was added and an electric color scheme helped the building glow to life. All that was left was to set it against a motherboard backdrop, and Pixel Playhouse finally came into view.

PPH loved it. Secondary and tertiary logos were made soon after, utilizing the marquee and its lettering, that could be utilized as letterhead and social media avatars respectively.

What made the design so perfect for PPH is that it could be personalized further for the channel. Was the next show going to be a Disney night? Posters from popular Disney movies could be added next to the theater’s entrance while the theater itself wore giant Mickey ears. Old movie musicals night? Easy - a quick black and white wash and some searchlights to give the theater a Golden Era of Hollywood look. As much as any space could be outfitted for a themed party, so too could the theater be.

Final Branding Guide