Netflix Sports’ identity draws on the emotion, rhythm and patterns behind every triumph and loss
Inspired by sacrifice and struggle, the new visual system from Study Hall reimagines how sports are presented in the streaming space.
As Netflix recently began to expand its live sport offering, it became clear that this sub-brand – Netflix Sports – needed a sporty identity that matched the raw emotion and intensity of the stories it documents. The Oakland-based design studio Study Hall were enlisted to take on the task, and they created a new visual identity that captures the gritty, dynamic energy of sport, inspired by the sacrifice, struggle, and stories behind every triumph (and loss). They also made a few tweaks to the Netflix identity in the process, like abstracting its iconic wordmark.
From the get-go, the studio was intent on redefining how sports are presented in the streaming space. Rather than centring on achievement, they instead dived into the whole spectrum of sports narratives. “Visually, this translates into a dynamic identity built around the abstracted Netflix N Symbol,” says creative director Jeremy Volk. “It’s supported by an expanded colour palette and bold typography that maintains Netflix’s distinctive voice,” Jeremy adds, “while speaking distinctly to sports content.” Throughout the identity the symbol can morph and adapt to various storytelling modes.
Jeremy says that the Study Hall team tried to mimic the rhythms and patterns inherent to sport, forging moments of tension and release – quiet moments before enormous eruptions of action. “We looked beyond conventional sports broadcasting references, drawing instead from documentary filmmaking techniques and studying how to capture both physical movement and emotional resonance,” Jeremy says. “Working within Netflix’s established brand framework actually provided valuable creative guardrails.” Rather than focusing to heavily on history, Study Hall leveraged Netflix’s contemporary context instead of visually competing with traditional sports broadcasting aesthetics.
“The challenge wasn’t so much to make Netflix ‘sportier’ as it was to find ways to express the intensity and emotion of sports through Netflix’s unique lens,” Jeremy says. In harnessing the equity of Netflix’s workmark as a design element, Study Hall was able to create an authentically ‘Netflix’ identity while, as Jeremy says, “speaking fluently to sports narratives”.