Sirius XM
Premise
Sirius XM was in need of a stronger vision. The majority of SXM’s users have experienced their product exclusively through the car’s interface, and although they have a vast content offering, their mobile app hasn’t come close to competing with other streaming services. Their very loyal audience were growing accustomed to interfacing with CarPlay and Android Auto exclusively, and SXM needed to start meeting them where they’re going. It was time for something beyond a refresh—an aspirational and expandable redefinition of what it means to drive what moves you.
Partner
The SXM platform features content similar to what you can find on other DSPs, such as highly curated playlists and live shows, but it also incorporates play-by-play sports broadcasts and additional nuance that needed to be easily communicated and accessed by users.
We benchmarked from other DSPs and comparable digital applications, but our strategy's north star was uniquely-human social experiences that could introduce new mechanics for sorting, shuffling, and searching for content.
With a vast collection of station logos and disperate key art with no cohesion, we developed a new approach and system for photography and artwork that could simplify the discovery experience in a dynamic way.
When building the system, a variety of platforms and devices needed to be considered. We created a robust toolkit of assets that could be used across car media players, smartphone devices, tablets, TVs, and the web.
Iterative design workshops were conducted with the Sirius team to pinpoint their visual interests, opportunities to stand out from competitors, and areas of improvement within the existing brand. Inspired by cultural touch points familiar to the SXM user base, we updated the color and typography systems to better visualize the new and improved user experience.
Additionally, we were asked to rethink this wordmark and the legacy dog mascot:
Our new take on the SXM brand
Our primary goal in reinvigorating the SXM wordmark was to improve its symmetry and mathematical harmony. The clean lines and modern typography of this new mark is a more balanced realization of the original that manages to not lose any equity.
And without straying too far away from the strong personality of Sirius, the dog mascot, we sustained the strange, idiosyncratic spirit of the original character design. Conveying bold progress within the brand, we reimagined the dog as a stargazer, with its deft nose and satellite tail pointed to the sky.
This work could not have been accomplished without the collaboration of Janice M. Cho and Jonathan O'Brien.