On The Slate Podcast | Brand Design

Scope

Creative & Art Direction
Graphic Design
Cover Art
Typography

Date

2024-Present

Talking about movies is a lot of fun—so much so that I started a podcast with two friends where we do exactly that.
‍
Once Wesley, Jason, and I landed on the name, I jumped straight into creating the official cover art. Since “slate” was literally in the title, I began with a photo I took of an actual film slate. I brought it into Photoshop and chose a bold, showy typeface that felt reminiscent of classic movie titles and even the famous Hollywood signage.
‍
At first, the slate with the lettering alone felt too clean and sterile, so I began layering in photo assets from my personal library. The goal was to introduce grain, texture, film burns, and light leaks—elements that reflect the tactile qualities of filmmaking and make the image feel more tangible.

To maintain visual consistency during our early audio-only episodes, I created an inverted version of the slate so the white wouldn’t be too bright or straining on the viewer’s eyes. I wanted it to feel like an audio waveform was playing on a real slate, with episode details living naturally within the gridded sections.

When we later introduced video and began updating our YouTube thumbnails, I carried the same visual language forward. The thumbnail involves imagery relevant to each episode with the slate peaking in from the top of the frame. A catchy phrase in our primary brand font and subtle overlap between the image and the slate help unify the elements into a cohesive composition.

The end result is a visual identity that feels clean and professional, yet textured and tactile. Details like grain, light leaks, film burns, and bold all-caps typography give a clear nod to the film industry while helping the brand feel more tangible across digital mediums.
‍
If you’re interested in checking out more than just our branding, you can listen to us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.