Onyx Collective

Creators of color have an outsized but undervalued influence on popular entertainment. Recognizing the need for a new structure with the power to shift the dynamic of the media landscape, we worked with Disney to create a studio label on a mission to develop and promote original storytelling from underrepresented BIPOC artists in a monumental new way.

Enter Onyx Collective. The black Onyx stone is strong and indestructible, symbolizing self-confidence, wisdom, and protection with spiritual meanings connected to healing, balance, and fortitude in the face of challenges. Our foundational brand strategy amplifies these attributes to build a platform that champions the enduring legacy, beauty, and power of BIPOC voices, joining together and rising up as a powerful force.

Working towards the world premiere of Questlove’s Summer of Soul (which went on to win the Oscar for Best Documentary), we designed the Onyx Collective logo to project power and confidence.

The wordmark supports the studio’s ambition to develop prestige storytelling with mass appeal while being bold enough to stand alongside established brands within the Disney entertainment ecosystem. Utilizing the golden ratio—a cosmic constant found throughout the universe—we imagined the logo as a foundation upon which the brand can build into new dimensions.

“Just like moons and like suns with the certainty of tides, just like hopes springing high, still I rise.” — Maya Angelou

Onyx Collective embodies the power of a shared vision. Our logo animation builds a world around this idea to tell an origin story: one of creators in collaboration, rising in numbers, highlighting collectivity as the connective tissue of the brand. Elemental masses are attracted by a universal gravitational force, joining together to signify the dawn of a new energy.

We designed the visual identity as an ecosystem inspired by elements from the natural world to evoke a place where creators can thrive and envision new horizons.

Colors draw from earth and skin tones, built around a system that translates renderings from the 3D logo animation into a distinct color palette. Photography is treated to showcase authenticity and diversity. The design system leverages form and function to assemble a visual language grounded by two key elements—Brand Armatures and Brand Emblems—which provide a foundational aesthetic and convey strength and timelessness. We designed the identity and social guidelines to provide a clear, unified framework while building in flexibility to evolve in the future.