ITV has unveiled a new brand identity, created in collaboration with Cornwall-based Studio Kiln, marking the broadcaster’s most significant design update since the launch of ITVX in 2022. The work simplifies the system, strips back sub-channel signposting, and places the ITV masterbrand firmly at the heart of its communications.
The decision comes as ITV marketing continues to stretch across more platforms and formats than ever before. From billboards and broadcast trailers to TikTok ads and CTV campaigns, the new system is designed to give ITV a consistent presence wherever audiences encounter it.
Spark yellow, first introduced with ITVX, has now been elevated as the lead colour, supported by a bold visual device called “the apex”.
Studio Kiln’s breakthrough on the project came with the creation of the apex, which is a sharp, angular device inspired by the geometry of the ITVX’ X’. Once introduced, it changed ITV’s whole approach to the brand.
“Once we created a device that physically connected the ITV logo with content, the whole mindset changed,” says Charlie Hocking, creative director at Studio Kiln. “It meant ITV didn’t need to lean on sub-channels or secondary signposting anymore – the brand had a unique and identifiable brand device that could do the heavy lifting.”
The apex is not a single static mark but a flexible system with more than 50 dynamic variations. Panels drift, orbit, and expand around the ITV logo, creating a sense of energy and movement while allowing space for the content to shine.
Each fragment represents a different part of the broadcaster’s universe, such as drama, sport, news, and entertainment, anchored by the ITV logo at the centre. A small easter egg connects back to the ITVX era, as the apex shares its underlying geometry with the streaming platform’s icon, building continuity into the evolution.
One of the toughest creative calls was deciding how much of ITV’s colourful brand world to retain. The company has long been associated with multiple channel identities and shifting palettes. Studio Kiln and ITV Creative eventually concluded that clarity mattered more than variety.
Charlie recalls: “One of the toughest decisions was to reduce sub-channel indicators and choose a single colour – Spark Yellow. ITV had become known for multiple colours and multiple channels, but for clarity, we stripped this back.
“We chose to keep the Spark Yellow from ITVX, because it already had the strongest brand recognition and felt noticeably different from competitors. Over time, the more we stripped away, the clearer and more usable the system became.”
The streamlined approach makes the identity easier to implement across a vast marketing funnel, from long-lead campaigns to quick-turn social content. It also gives ITV the freedom to lead confidently with just the masterbrand, rather than leaning too heavily on sub-brands.
In practice, the new design had to work hard across hundreds of use cases, from TV trailers to outdoor billboards,