To create a set of idents for the latest Sky History rebrand. These needed to use a strong brand connection, give a sense of the different genres Sky History has to offer, and reinforce the brand proposition that ‘History is alive’.

Our ‘Trailblazing History’ idea was to use Sky History’s distinctive red timeline to carve its way through history, and to be part of the events and moments that have shaped our lives.

How to fit so much history into an ident! From a Viking fleet, to the discovery of the Egyptian Sphinx, to the Battle of Britain, and then a moon landing, all in 17 seconds! It was a real challenge, but we got there in the end.

Adding human elements into a purely CG execution was a hurdle as well. To overcome this, we took 156 camera scans of people, allowing us to embed them into scenes thanks to some very clever technology.

When dealing with history, it’s important to be as authentic as possible. So every detail had to be thoroughly researched: the vehicle used by an Egyptologist in the 1920s, the detail on Tommie Smith’s tracksuit, and much, much more. Viewers may well spot new details on every viewing.

We also needed a big collaborative effort to overcome Covid restrictions. Working closely with director Rob Blishen, Analog Studio, audio and grade, we were able to share every step of the process with our Sky and A+E Networks stakeholders via many web meetings.

We’re thrilled to have featured Tommie Smith’s black power salute at the 1968 Olympics. A powerful message, that is still relevant today.