Loyalkaspar helps the Peabody Award tell its story

The Peabody Award is an American award given to people who've made distinguished storytelling efforts in radio and television. New York-based Loyalkaspar recently finished an overhaul of the award's brand identity as part of an attempt to increase public awareness and extend its activities beyond the once-a-year award show.

Loyalkaspar gave the award its own logo that works independently of the well-recognised gold medal. It is designed to be modern yet timeless. The tagline "Stories that Matter" positions the Peabody Awards as a brand "that invigorates people, culture, and society through the transformative power of stories". Loyalkaspar developed a full brand identity including collaterals and a graphics package for this year's awards show telecast.

Previous logo.

From a press release:

Rooted in the tagline “Stories that Matter,” the comprehensive brand strategy and visual identity raises public awareness of Peabody while positioning the brand as one that invigorates people, culture, and society through the transformative power of stories.

Loyalkaspar’s strategy establishes Peabody as a year-round brand experience with their signature annual awards show acting as the pinnacle event of the brand. The prestigious George Foster Peabody Awards is administered by the University of Georgia’s Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

“The Peabodys have a rich history of curating storytelling, from its roots in radio and TV journalism to scripted content across all media in today’s digital age,” says Dr. Jeffrey P. Jones, Peabody Director. “In such an age of vast choices, it was important for us to raise the profile of our organization and the awards. loyalkaspar was able to not only able to express what the Peabody brand stands for, but also extend it in a way that honors our role in the ever-changing media landscape, from past to present to future.”

“While the Peabody Awards are highly respected in the entertainment industry, the general public’s awareness of Peabody as an organization was low,” adds loyalkaspar Creative Director Richard Eng. “They’re a modern entity that embraces innovation and stories on a much larger scale – from radio and television to symposiums, talks and digital platforms – so our brand strategy aspires to convey that.”

Loyalkaspar’s first design task was to revamp the logo. Since the brand’s iconic image was the medallion given to award winners, embossed with founder George Foster Peabody’s image, loyalkaspar decided to use a 2D graphic of Peabody’s silhouette, accented with bursts that call to mind the symbolic laurels of entertainment awards and accolades. A custom sans serif font and an understated-yet-modern color palette elegantly underscore the importance of the brand.

“Our goal was not only to create an own-able visual representation of the brand strategy, but also to create an enduring aesthetic that will serve Peabody well into the future,” says Eng. “We created a mark that timelessly represents the organization yet is still appealing to younger audiences.”

Loyalkaspar also designed a brand communication guide, print collateral, business cards, and series of digital templates in order to unify the brand’s visual and verbal identity across all touchpoints.

This new visual identity was then translated and extended to the 74th annual Peabody Awards, hosted by former Peabody recipient Fred Armisen and held as a red-carpet gala for the first time ever. Loyalkaspar produced the on-air awards package for Pivot’s 90-minute prime-time broadcast, which included a traditional suite of opens, bumpers and graphics.

Eng credits Pivot and Peabody for ultimately making the project such a success. “Collaborating with the network and Dr. Jeffrey Jones was phenomenal. They trusted our expertise and were open to our vision on how to elevate the brand’s value and awareness.”

Loyalkaspar is continuing its work with the Peabody organization with an eye towards its upcoming 75th anniversary.

“There’s a real innate value to this institution and its importance to our industry,” concludes Eng. “As Walter Cronkite famously said, ‘You count your Emmys, you cherish your Peabody’s.’”

Entertainment Branding Agency: loyalkaspar
Principal/President: David Herbruck
Principal/Chief Creative Officer: Beat Baudenbacher
Partner/Chief Development Officer: Robert Blatchford
Executive Creative Director: Richard Eng
Creative Director: Martin Peel
Head of Production: Jessica Scharer
Senior Producer: Susan Harris
Writer/Strategist: Mika Saulitis
Senior Designer: J Collins