The Situation
While getting my Masters in Branding from the School of Visual Arts, I had the opportunity to design, and work with design legend, host of Design Matters, and Chair/Co-Founder of the SVA Branding program, Debbie Millman, to capture the spirit of television’s first gender non-binary character, Taylor Mason, with a logo.
The Challenge
Showtime’s hit financial crime drama, “Billions” was looking for a logo to be used as the season three cliffhanger, and set up the main conflict for season four.
The challenge was designing a logo that reflected Taylor’s unique character traits, while illustrating the contrast between the personality, motivations, and expectations of Taylor to their polar opposite, Bobby Axelrod.
The Response
I always start with typography. I was looking for a type that would speak to Taylor’s calculating personality, and precision. Geometric sans like Helvetica, are simple, neutral, and versatile, too vanilla, but I was looking for something with a bit more humanity, and flavor. Avenir Next provided the deeper, richer note I was looking for, and also means “future”, as Taylor was looking to push fintech into the future.
I then worked with a grid, and the aha moment was when I was going over my inspiration board, and saw a bank vault icon. I was able to work the typography, the grid, the icon, into a singular image, and the rest is history. The design has an extended ‘T’, a wink to Taylor’s elegant, and long neck.
Through the dueling logos, you are able to see the contrasting personalities of Bobby Axelrod, played by Damian Lewis, and Taylor Mason, played by Asia Kate Dillion. On the left you have Axe, the aggressive Wall Street billionaire, as illustrated by the aggressive angles, and bold type that is cut. On the right, you have Taylor, the reserved, dynamic, and urbane type, as represented by the methodical grid-based design, and nuanced typography.
Though Taylor’s logo more restrained, it is just as bold, and confident, as its counterpart, yet is more refined, and dynamic, just like the character, Taylor Mason.
The Result
Media mentions in: NYTimes, Forbers, Refinery29, Thrillist, Vulture, Entertainment Weekly,
Before watching the video clip, pay close attention to Taylor’s language, mannerisms, and aesthetics. Little things like, the way Taylor sits in the chair, to Taylor’s gait, and cadence, helped inform the design, and hopefully becomes apparent in the reveal.
