Vevo
In 2019, Vevo had only an 11-page PDF of loose brand guidelines -no color guidance and just one or two motion templates. This led to ad-hoc decisions and constant divergent creative choices being made across the company, resulting in no consistency across teams or endpoints. At the same time, the company was preparing to expand more widely into connected television, so action was needed to tighten and improve the branding.
The first step was presenting to the CEO and senior leadership the scale of the problem with Vevo’s branding and the potential solutions. Once internal reviews were completed, I engaged PORTO ROCHA, who did incredible work bringing order to the chaos. They listened to internal stakeholders, took everything on board, and created a system perfectly fit for purpose.
Over approximately 12 months, the high level of collaboration and conversation with PORTO ROCHA resulted in brand guidelines that are deep, prescriptive, yet flexible enough to remain creative. My involvement throughout the process meant that when their work was complete, I was fully immersed in the new brand and ready to build Vevo’s new world around the system.
The work is never truly done, but every improvement, iteration, and update now follows the brand principles and never strays too far - creating a unified brand voice alive with color and motion. I developed an enormous, ever-evolving suite of core templates that sit at the heart of all design and post-production processes. All inputs flow into a single template, with a simple system of checkboxes and sliders enabling a small post team to service assets across 35+ partners.
The brand system is equally strong in physical spaces. Its versatile layout system provides solutions for almost any environment - the biggest challenge is simply choosing a color.
Four years later, it continues to deliver excellent results. While policing output remains a challenge with so many teams and endpoints, there is now a definitive set of guidelines that leaves little room for doubt. The brand system has allowed Vevo to move faster, more cohesively, and more consistently.
Credits - Some images and videos above courtesy of PORTO ROCHA see their original project breakdown here
In 2019, Vevo had only an 11-page PDF of loose brand guidelines -no color guidance and just one or two motion templates. This led to ad-hoc decisions and constant divergent creative choices being made across the company, resulting in no consistency across teams or endpoints. At the same time, the company was preparing to expand more widely into connected television, so action was needed to tighten and improve the branding.
The first step was presenting to the CEO and senior leadership the scale of the problem with Vevo’s branding and the potential solutions. Once internal reviews were completed, I engaged PORTO ROCHA, who did incredible work bringing order to the chaos. They listened to internal stakeholders, took everything on board, and created a system perfectly fit for purpose.
Over approximately 12 months, the high level of collaboration and conversation with PORTO ROCHA resulted in brand guidelines that are deep, prescriptive, yet flexible enough to remain creative. My involvement throughout the process meant that when their work was complete, I was fully immersed in the new brand and ready to build Vevo’s new world around the system.
The work is never truly done, but every improvement, iteration, and update now follows the brand principles and never strays too far - creating a unified brand voice alive with color and motion. I developed an enormous, ever-evolving suite of core templates that sit at the heart of all design and post-production processes. All inputs flow into a single template, with a simple system of checkboxes and sliders enabling a small post team to service assets across 35+ partners.
The brand system is equally strong in physical spaces. Its versatile layout system provides solutions for almost any environment - the biggest challenge is simply choosing a color.
Four years later, it continues to deliver excellent results. While policing output remains a challenge with so many teams and endpoints, there is now a definitive set of guidelines that leaves little room for doubt. The brand system has allowed Vevo to move faster, more cohesively, and more consistently.
Credits - Some images and videos above courtesy of PORTO ROCHA see their original project breakdown here
Hello, I’m Sydney
A UK native now based in Brooklyn, NY, where I live with my wife and a chaotic dog 🐕.
I studied at Hereford Art College and entered the industry through music - running a one-person punk label losing all my money in the process - but I did have to learn to do it all: websites, album art, merch, music videos, and everything in between. Moving through fashion and merchandising I found myself back in music.
Eighteen years later, I’ve tackled nearly every creative challenge imaginable. I’ve built brands, designed apparel, developed games, directed films, designed stages and events, and led productions creating content seen by billions. As a creative director and team leader, I’ve become an accomplished strategist and mentor but I’m still deeply hands-on, always exploring new tools.
Along with PORTO ROCHA I was awarded a D&AD Pencil in 2021 for Vevo’s global rebrand.
A UK native now based in Brooklyn, NY, where I live with my wife and a chaotic dog 🐕.
I studied at Hereford Art College and entered the industry through music - running a one-person punk label losing all my money in the process - but I did have to learn to do it all: websites, album art, merch, music videos, and everything in between. Moving through fashion and merchandising I found myself back in music.
Eighteen years later, I’ve tackled nearly every creative challenge imaginable. I’ve built brands, designed apparel, developed games, directed films, designed stages and events, and led productions creating content seen by billions. As a creative director and team leader, I’ve become an accomplished strategist and mentor but I’m still deeply hands-on, always exploring new tools.
Along with PORTO ROCHA I was awarded a D&AD Pencil in 2021 for Vevo’s global rebrand.
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Sydney Emery | 2025 | Beta V1.2
