Based on a character from a 2013 NBC Sports ad campaign for Premiere League Football, no one had seen or heard from Ted Lasso in a few years. Deeper than the advertising campaign, Ted Lasso, the series on Apple TV+, is a fish-out-of-water story that believes blithe optimism can overcome cultural differences and professional liabilities. We set out to communicate in the artwork this new comedy series was more than one note, and had just the right amount of heart to capture viewers for 10 episodes and not just a YouTube short.

Ted Lasso needed an elastic-yet-iconic marketing identity to stand out among Apple TV+ titles and across a wealth of competitive comedic programming. The goal was to anchor the brand identity into the spirit and aesthetic of the show itself – a look that was simple and fun, colorful and universal. The simple approach to our series identity ensured that audiences could immediately grasp the comedic tone of the show, while an iconic palette and typography toolkit ensured we stood apart from our competition.

Taking inspiration from the titular coach’s team colors, sports-inspired typography, and Apple’s own design ethos, the identity became a responsive canvas that all facets of the campaign could activate against and build off of. The success of the marketing identity for Ted Lasso is easily identified by one thing – fans of the show latched onto that identity, and made their own Ted Lasso-inspired materials using our brand identity. Our colors, typography, copy, and photography popped up in innumerable fan-made sites, swag, and social posts.

After months of people living through a global pandemic, the world was ready for a little optimism and kind-hearted humor that Ted Lasso delivered. Week to week, and through extremely positive word of mouth and reviews, Ted Lasso broke through the pop culture zeitgeist gaining viewers throughout it’s Fall run, and growing the rest of the year, culminating in various awards including Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild (SAG), Critics Choice. The brand identity became a tool that fans used to showcase their love of the franchise. And the identity proved a functional and flexible tool across all areas of business for Apple TV+, too. It found its way into every facet of consumer and industry-facing communication promoting the show. So much so that it will carry over into subsequent seasons as a fundamental part of the series identity.