Graphic Systems
The Cheap Seats Rebrand
/// Overview
For the 2025 rebrand of The Cheap Seats, I led the concept and visual design of the show's on-air identity at LaFinka.tv. I defined the key visuals, the graphic language and the rules behind it: type hierarchy, colour proportions, graphic devices and safe areas. That gave the team a system they could animate and template across the title sequence, the studio LED screens and the full on-air package.
/// The Challenge
After four seasons, the show needed an identity that matched its late-night slot without losing what made it recognisable. The system had to carry very different content: news clips, guest portraits, segment titles and live studio shots. It also had to stay legible at broadcast size and be simple enough for an animation team to build templates from it.
/// The System
The identity grows from one idea: the cheap seats are the furthest from the stage, but they still have a view. Three graphic devices carry it across every screen: a giant letter that opens a window onto the city, a neon line that crosses the frame, and spotlight rings around each guest. A tight palette of late-night blues with a single neon yellow accent, and one typeface for everything on screen, keep it consistent and easy to animate.
/// The Process
I started with late-night TV references and explored four visual routes: Rings & Marks, Skyline from below, Night Windows and The Swiss Grid. The client chose the first, and its rings became the spotlight device of the final system. From there I moved through logo drafts, city treatment tests and three rounds of style frames, then locked the rules into a brand book: colour, type scale, safe areas and the construction of the neon. The approved frames became the reference for the main title, the guest templates and the studio screen loops.