As part of my MFA in Motion Media Design at SCAD, I completed an internship with the amazing team at FX Networks, contributing to the on-air branding for It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17.
My work spanned concept through execution and included pitching styleframes, animating logos, creating snipes, original episode openers, VACs, and versioned IDs across platforms, dates, and airtimes.
Working in both 2D and 3D using After Effects and Cinema 4D, I collaborated within an established broadcast pipeline—assembling, adapting, and animating assets from other designers and illustrators, as well as designing original elements within the show’s branding constraints.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 17 Branding
Logo Animation
I animated a logo reveal using the existing It’s Always Sunny and FX Networks logos.
With a somewhat open brief, I anchored the concept around emergence from darkness. Reflecting the show’s blend of dark humor and comedy, I started with the letters jumping out of the dark, revealing themselves in a burst of the show’s signature yellow.
Typography Animation
After being given a font to work with, I was tasked with creating a typography reveal that could be used across different branding elements. Something that could be easily versioned in id’s vacs, promos… etc.
It needed to animate quickly but have personality and an aesthetic that fit the already established artwork.
VAC’s
Viewer Advisory Cards (VACs) are short broadcast interstitials that play just before an episode or when returning from commercial, setting tone and reinforcing show branding in only a few seconds.
I designed and animated both an 8-second pre-episode VAC and a 4-second return-from-break VAC.
Working from existing show and network assets, and assets illustrated by another artist, I developed a new arrangement that hadn’t been used previously.
Brand Card
The brand card serves as a transitionary element from the traditional FX logo, into the art style of the particular show that is coming up.
Original Opening
The original opening is a short pre-episode segment that signals the start of the show. The brief was to reuse existing assets and assemble them into a new sequence.
Snipe
A snipe is a short animated graphic for a show that plays over existing footage or commercials, typically used for identification or promotion.