Man vs Machine Interview

Title design and ident design are like fraternal twins, they don’t share the exact same DNA, but they’ve got a whole lot in common. Which explains our unbridled admiration for ManvsMachine – a motion studio from the UK who have gained a lot of attention and won several awards in recent years for their stunning and highly imaginative brand identities for a number of international tv networks. To name but a few, More4, SyFy, Nickelodeon, 4Seven, Chiller, Kanal 5, and BTVision.

Mike Alderson‘s breakdown of the creative process of ManvsMachine‘s award-winning More4 Rebrand was one of the highlights of our Playgrounds vs Submarine Channel 2012 event. From Alderson I learnt that sometimes the best ideas require time to settle in and get noticed, because at first glance a great idea may seem too simple, too obvious, or too unusual.

We visited Mike and his crew in their “natural habitat” – the ManvsMachine studio in London’s Shoreditch district, where we shot this short but sweet profile.

A small selection from ManvsMachine’s work on Vimeo

More4 Christmas idents shot in location in Iceland

NBC Universal commissioned ManvsMachine to create a series of logo idents as part of the Chiller network rebrand.

4seven idents: “We wanted to give the corner-wrap treatment to Britain’s most loved intersection: Spaghetti Junction. So we got in a helicopter and made it so.”

“After winning a competitive pitch, Channel 4 commissioned ManvsMachine to create a new brand identity and on-air look for More4. The package aligns with a re-focussed range of content on the channel.”

On-screen graphics as part of full channel brand package for new channel 4seven.

Opening titles for Disney’s animation series Tron: Uprising.

“In response to an extremely open brief from Swedish broadcaster Kanal 5, ManvsMachine worked in collaboration with the fine folk at Proud to conceive & create a visually rich and quirky spot, suited to the channel’s eclectic entertainment output.”