MAD, an Istanbul-based digital news portal, has partnered with local creative agency Ba’ndo (based between Istanbul and London) to create a new identity for its emerging platform. Specialising in marketing, advertising and design – hence the name – it hopes to become “an indispensable resource” for industry professionals and design enthusiasts alike, offering innovative ideas, inspiring works and interviews with industry leaders in these fields.

Looking to build a platform worthy of the groundbreaking work it features, MAD tasked Ba’ndo with developing an imaginative identity. This needed to be informed by the driving forces behind MAD, such as community, education, and a passion for forward-facing creativity. MAD needed to become a meeting point for creatives of all disciplines, each looking to understand the movements of their industry, as well as inspiration for their own work.

“MAD’s brand story is about the passion and creativity behind every design, advertising campaign, and marketing strategy … and works that cross the boundaries between these disciplines,” the Ba’ndo team explain. “We leveraged the power of design to explain these processes and their extraordinary results.”

With this in mind, the designers at Ba’ndo developed a striking new logotype for the platform that emphasises the creativity at its heart. A bold, custom display font spells out the brand’s name using heavy letterforms that are at once simple and characterful, with little quirks such as a wonky serif on the ‘M’. The logotype is markedly retro, “warmly greeting all the beautiful things of the past” whilst retaining a touch of the contemporary. It announces MAD as a platform for unbridled imagination.

Illustrations also play a key role in establishing the brand’s tone of voice, with Ba’ndo creating a series of illustrated mascots to capture its boundless energy. Mostly drawn as a striking set of eyes, this recurring character is reminiscent of Microsoft’s beloved Clippy mascot, which reinforces the decidedly retro feel of the identity. “These mascots are full of liveliness, just like [the] brand,” the team say. “They expand and explain the MAD world, almost like toys, vibrant and energetic. And of course, very curious.”

Such a dynamic identity would not be complete without some actual movement, and Ba’ndo chose once again to look to the past for inspiration here. Eschewing more modern methods of motion design, they opted for the age-old frame-by-frame technique to bring the various elements of the identity to life.

“This technique allowed us to create a sense of originality and a retrospective view that suits the spirit of MAD,” the team explain. “The lines used in our icon language are sharp and clear, just like our logo. This clarity best reflects the essence and passion of the brand.”

Ba’ndo also devised a zingy colour palette to complement the vibrancy of the logo, illustrations and animations. Eye-catching shades of red and purple take centre stage, backed by a more subtle peachy hue that allows for moments of respite between the punchier elements. The result is a colour palette that matches the spirited nature of the content on the platform, without distracting from it.

wearebando.com