HBO Real Time with Bill Maher show open designs
Overview
Joseph Kiely has designed and developed the past two HBO Real Time with Bill Maher Show Opens that have been airing for over 6 years.
Joseph developed the overarching design look and metaphorical imagery for the initial launches of each new show open. He focused on creating designs that were engaging yet flexible so that the content could be updated to reflect current events.
Concept + Design
Show Open 2024
The goal for the new 2024 Real Time Show Open was to engage the viewer with a stimulating juxtaposition of the current political issues but with a positive skew.
Joseph looked at several different visual approaches ultimately resolving on a collage style inspired by Warhol’s prints and Banksy’s urban art. Each visual concept juxtaposes diffrent points of view through metaphorical imagery letting the viewer draw their own interpretation.
Edit and animation by PopClutch / Open Road
CLIENT:
AGENCY:
patriotic palette
The classic red and blue palette was tweaked to be more modern and relevant. A rich range of blue grey backgrounds are punctuated by the bright magenta red, blue green and lime yellow.
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complex metaphors
Political issues are notoriously difficult to simplify much less distill down into a single image. The more complex and layered ideas required a more complex sequences of visuals to communicate the idea.
Show Open 2018
The 2018 Real Time Show Open focused on the concept of time, juxtaposing clever visual from the past with the present. The goal was to inspire conversation and a new point of view on current events.
Joseph developed the visual concept and image juxtapositions for the initial show open along with a modern color palette and graphic system. The open remained true to it’s original design with new content added every season.
Style guide
A highly charged color palette was developed to mimic the ever-changing moods of politics and people. An aggressive dark blue and burgundy are punctuated by bright cyans and green. A digital inspired typeface was used to mimic the look and feel of code and a modern clock.
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Design development
Through extensive stock image searches and design iteration, a series of visual metaphors that represented the relevant issues of today were created. The circle motif created modularity allowing the imagery to be updated with the changing political landscape.
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