CNN Audio brand campaign, podcast designs and digital toolkit

Project Goals

CNN Audio aimed to connect with a younger, more engaged audience through its podcast programming. They needed a refreshed brand identity and campaign that unified their podcast properties while appealing to a new generation of listeners.

Joseph explored new brand marks and overarching design concepts that seamlessly tied together CNN Audio’s podcasts, promotions, and advertising.

CLIENT:

AGENCY (Formerly Stun Creative):

Brand look

To showcase how CNN Audio was expanding beyond its core audience, the square logo was transformed into a dynamic burst of colorful sound waves. The new, younger listeners and CNN talent were seamlessly integrated into this vibrant world of engaging and accessible storytelling.

Logo development

The goal for the CNN Audio brand mark was to create a simple yet distinctive design that complemented the existing CNN logo. Essential icons representing sound, audio, and storytelling were distilled to their core elements and seamlessly integrated into the brand mark.

Podcast & digital assets

The color wave extended across podcast covers and social media promotions, with the red source anchored behind the CNN Audio logo. The bloom of color adapted to reflect each podcast’s unique content.

This flexible brand motif enabled a wide range of promotional elements, from graphic-only Instagram posts to a fully integrated talent-driven campaign.

CNN Podcast Cover Silence is not and Option with Don Lemon

CNN Podcast Cover for Daily News Briefing

Style guide

The core CNN brand red expanded into a vibrant color wave, creating a youthful and visually striking brand for a new demographic. Three key colors—light blue, red, and yellow—anchored the new identity while enhancing its versatility across platforms.

#31B7FF

#C90129

#FEB62F

#FFFFFF

Design Exploration

A range of brand and campaign concepts were explored alongside each logo iteration. Pairing the mark with its visual theme provided a complete picture of each design’s potential. Concepts that visually connected to storytelling—such as the audio wave and story line—resonated most with the client.

Audio Landscape

The iconic sound wave transforms into a vibrant landscape of content, weaving around CNN Audio, its audience, and talent. The CNN logo is subtly augmented with the word “Audio,” while the dynamic wave motif defines the brand’s refreshed visual identity

Story Line

An audio progress bar is integrated into the CNN Audio logo, doubling as a visual storyline that flows through programming and promotion. This design element unifies large campaigns, podcast covers, and CNN talent, seamlessly connecting them to relevant stories.