Mother Design & Realm

An otherworldly identity for a profoundly inclusive brand. (Read more)

Established in 2015, Realm—formerly Serial Box—is an audio entertainment company that creates original fiction podcasts and audiobook series. They collaborate with popular fiction writers, directors, artists, and voice and acting talent to create original stories and official continuations of popular franchises, like Orphan Black and properties from Marvel and DC. 

Above all, the company seeks to provide a “magical refuge” for their listeners—a progressive intention that manifests both in the inherent themes of speculative fiction and Realm’s concerted effort to feature culturally underrepresented voices, writers, and characters. 

Such a warm, witty, welcoming brand deserves its due recognition, and we hope our rebrand garners precisely that.

The name “Realm”—round, mysterious, and warm—was chosen not only to increase the brand’s searchability, but also to represent the mental journey listeners take in the acts of escapism and relaxation.

The color palette largely features purple, representing inclusivity, magic, spirituality, vitality, and creativity; it also creates a unique, otherworldly aesthetic when paired with the near-black background. Complimentary colors like orange and off-white help make the visual world vibrant and friendly. Portal-like graphics represent entrances to other “realms”; their inner glow creates a weird, mysterious sci-fi vibe, and adds magic and energy (á la James Turrell) to the visual language. 

Brand mascot Ruby, who accompanies every listener down the audio rabbithole, sits embedded in the “R” of the new wordmark—one born from an inviting shape language and inspired by fiction film and literary art. The bold, condensed Roc Grotesk typeface complements it by sharing unique, slightly strange, but overall friendly characteristics, and flexes many weights and styles depending on purpose and usage. And, because the Baskerville typefaces remain very popular in book design, we included the modern revival Libre Baskerville, which works particularly well for on-screen reading.

Finally, we collaborated with Felt Not Heard to create a distinct, inviting, repeatable, and memorable sonic mark that brings the Realm experience to life. It prepares the listener for a new experience—as if the listener is about to enter a portal—through a dramatic, cinematic sound that’s quick with punctuation.

So download, enter, and listen away. We’ll see you on the other side.

 

Mother Design & Realm

An otherworldly identity for a profoundly inclusive brand. (Read more)

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