Apple Music — SBLVIII

Design Direction

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Concept and design for the second Apple Music Superbowl Halftime show that set the stage for Usher to finalize his legacy as one of the greatest artists of our generation.

With an even broader approach to creative this year, we set our eyes on Vegas and created a concept around light and refraction (a nod to relationship to the Vegas lights and reflective architecture) and applied that to a world surrounding Usher.

SB LVIII has now been confirmed to be the most watched halftime show in history with 123.4 million tuning in to watch.

Logo Development
Inspired by the lights of Las Vegas and the invisible forces of music, we developed internally and with outside vendors a style guide and dynamic reactivity to apply to the key lockup. We created hundreds of options which gave us a large catalogue to utilize for specific use cases and outputs.

Key Art
Introducing Usher to our refracted lighting environment immersed him within the rich world of Apple Music red and the auora. Refracting the light off of himself, his accessories, and tonally setting the mood across marketing materials both digital and print.

Static Varability
When thinking through the initial concept, we knew we’d need options for a campaign as globally reaching as this. So, we developed static variabilities for multiple outputs from small scale (press conference microphone) to large scale (OOH) to solidify a dynamic and successfull brand system and language.

Teaser Endcard
We created various teaser visuals without revealing our campaign brand language to build up anticipation without stoking the flames of what’s to come. We also created logo dynamics that are sound reactive to the endcard track and music throughout campaign teasers.

First Time For Anything
We concepted an idea (out of scope) but with a passionate pitch gained approval to partner with Apple Maps and create an easter egg for iOS users to explore. By skinning and taking over Allegient Stadium in Apple Music branding and color, we pushed the boundaries and created a first-ever partnership with Apple Music and Maps.

Live at Allegient Stadium
Within the live event we developed hints and structures of our design language (in collaboration with Usher) within the entire performance.

Credits:
Creative Director: Sean Murphy, Naz Arandi, Chris Trumble
Associate Creative Director: Philip Cronerud
Art & Design Direction: Nicholas Sickelton, Scott Langer, Ash Mendez
Producer: Julia Keane, Molly Schimpff
Vendor: Any Other Name, Buck, VisDev, MediaMonks

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