Karena Evans

About the Project

Karena Evans is one of the most exciting directing and acting talents in entertainment. Having directed for the likes of HBO, Fox, Drake, Coldplay, and Adidas, and now working in film, TV, and fashion, Karena needed a brand identity to match her ever-growing influence, and to sincerely reflect her approach to art.

As an artist and a storyteller, it was important to us that the brand identity we created for Karena both reflected her character, and also her directorial style. Through her work, she subverts narratives, and challenges the ethical issues of our time, doing so with trademark authenticity, emotion, and energy.

With empowerment and representation being consistent themes in her creations, she truly wants her work to take centre stage, and so her visual identity had to reflect all of these characteristics.

Our Work

So, the logo at the heart of this identity balances this neutrality and humility with a clear reference to her unique contributions to a rich history of storytelling. Through a precise combination of typefaces, this branding is both approachable and human, while also presenting Karena as a visionary in her industry.

The typefaces used in the logo, and used across this brand identity, are Neue Haas Grotesk and Respira Black. These 2 typefaces pair the distinct with the neutral, offering contrast yet a clear sense of unity.

Neue Haas Grotesk allows the identity to possess humility, letting Karena’s work be the focus. It has an unparalleled neutrality, legibility, and subtle warmth to the letterforms, making it ideal for its prominent role in the logo, and also its functional role in body copy.

Respira Black is then a modernisation of traditional ‘blacklettering’. This was the lettering originally used for text settings from the 11th century, through to the 16th and 17th centuries. Hence, its link to a history of storytelling is undeniable. The lettering here conveys both a historical and a contemporary mood, tying Karena’s work to the history of telling stories, but bringing that artistry into modernity.

The colours were also carefully curated for the Karena Evans brand, with red and ‘paper’ being the primary colours.

Chosen mainly for their sense of empowerment and tactility, the red not only encapsulates the vibrancy of Karena and the energy behind her creations, but also references a consistent use of that colour in her work. Red was also the first coloured ink, after black, to be used in printing. And so in this way, the use of the colour references ideas of generational storytelling.

The ‘paper’ colour is then used to soften this powerful red, while still providing warmth and maintaining the energy of the brand. It too references the very beginnings of written storytelling, mimicking the colour of parchment paper.

This thoughtful combination of colour and typography carves out a distinct identity for Karena, paying homage to her distinguished style and character, while maintaining the humility required for her work to do most of the talking. It is a brand identity that mirrors the care, quality, and timelessness of her art, and one that can grow with her as her career evolves and expands.