projects about
Art direction and visual identity for Zembla Online, a digital platform for Dutch investigative journalism.
Zembla is one of the Netherlands' leading investigative journalism programmes, known for in-depth research and dealing with controversial topics. The online platform needed a visual identity of its own. Over the course of three years, an identity was build, implementing it across all digital channels, and producing all graphics throughout the entire period.
strategy
With the online visual identity a bridge needed to be build between online and TV: one that could reach a younger social media audience while staying connected to the established television brand. A design system with extensive, user-friendly templates made it possible for a small team to produce a high volume of content without sacrificing consistency. The templates became the backbone of the entire online identity.
design
Bold, clear visual choices made the content immediately recognisable in a crowded social media feed. Besides the identity itself, the work included infographics, illustrations, animations, and data visualisations that translated complex journalistic subjects into accessible graphics.
insight
Investigative journalism is build on trust, and visual design plays a large role in conveying the right message. A clear, consistent visual language signals credibility to an audience that often reads and sees the news on a small screen. Making complex information legible and engaging is a vital part of what makes the journalism land.
deliverables
With three years of art direction, the project produced a complete online visual identity, a design system with ready-to-use templates, social media content, editorial illustrations, infographics, data visualisations, and motion graphics. The system enabled a small team to maintain a consistent and professional presence across all digital platforms.