DesignStudio refreshes VFX powerhouse DNEG

DNEG, the world-renowned visual effects and animation studio with seven Academy Awards to its name, has revealed a brand refresh in collaboration with DesignStudio. The move aligns with DNEG's evolution from a VFX leader into a broader creative force.

Since the company is synonymous with cutting-edge motion imagery, the new DNEG brand identity needed to reflect movement in every aspect. DesignStudio ensured that motion was at the core of the refresh, from dynamic visual elements to an animated brand vision that seeks to capture the company's innovative nature.

"We wanted to bring the right energy to the brand experience by defining the unique DNEG perspective, attitude, and mindset - their 'Who'," explains DesignStudio design director Lorenzo Di Cola. "DNEG's brand spirit came through clearly: never settling, driven by unwavering tenacity, embracing freedom, and unconstrained by tradition."

It was this spirit that inspired the evocative tagline, 'Start With Impossible', developed to encapsulate DNEG's approach to creativity.

At the heart of the new identity is a dynamic Vision animation, representing the transformative process that defines DNEG's work. Abstract streaks in ethereal colours refract and swirl within a lens-like eye, symbolising the creative process at play. As the lights accelerate toward a vanishing point, they dissolve into a fully realised DNEG creation.

Di Cola says: "We wanted to visualise how DNEG turns blank slates into boundary-pushing creations.

"Rather than making it literal, we devised an abstract animation that represents their process—unpredictable yet deliberate, energetic yet refined."

DNEG's established logo has been subtly refined, maintaining recognition while introducing a more modern and flexible execution. A key addition to the visual identity is DNEG Script, a custom typeface developed in collaboration with French digital type foundry Lift Type.

"We took inspiration from the world of film, including classic movie posters," Di Cola notes. "Our brief was to create a typeface that felt cinematic, bold, and unmistakably DNEG."

A flexible typography toolkit allows for adjustments depending on the context, simultaneously offering versatility and maintaining the brand's impact.

The new brand's colour palette remains simple and refined, ensuring that DNEG's work remains the focal point. While DNEG's signature red builds equity across communications, a complementary secondary palette is directly influenced by the colours present in its projects.

"We had to highlight and bring consistency across DNEG's communications," Di Cola explains. "We built equity into the DNEG red as a primary but paired it with a colourful secondary palette that comes from the brand's creations.

"The hierarchy shifts when DNEG is talking about its work to hero the creations and give its audiences something new and unexpected."

Photography and motion continue to play a critical role in showcasing DNEG's expertise, extending seamlessly across all brand touchpoints, from digital platforms to out-of-home (OOH) campaigns and even apparel.

DesignStudio also worked on DNEG's new website, which is much more than just a digital facelift. The fully reimagined online experience was designed to attract top-tier talent, showcase the company's creative culture, and reaffirm its position as an industry leader.

"Our primary focus was on elevating the DNEG team and putting them at the heart of the digital experience," explains Di Cola, adding that the studio wanted to "shine a light on the incredible talent behind the work, ensuring they were front and centre".

A key challenge was balancing cinematic impact with clarity, and the solution meant ensuring that DNEG's projects are presented in a visually immersive way while maintaining structured and intuitive navigation.

The brand refresh was an iterative and collaborative effort between DesignStudio and DNEG, involving extensive consultations with stakeholders across all aspects of the business, from senior leadership to creative and technical teams.

"It was crucial we deeply understood the entire business," says Di Cola. "From the start, we hosted an extensive immersion with everyone across DNEG—from VFX to Animation to Technology teams."

According to DesignStudio, the response to the refreshed brand has been overwhelmingly positive, both internally and externally. DNEG's global head of marketing and communications, Tony Bradley, praised the collaboration, saying: "Working with the DesignStudio team on the DNEG brand refresh was a pleasure from start to finish, and we're very pleased with the modern, flexible visual language that they created for us."

While immediate reactions have been strong, the true success of the rebrand will be measured over time in terms of its impact on business opportunities, talent recruitment, and industry perception.

"A rebrand isn't just about a new logo or digital experience," says Di Cola. "It's about how the core idea comes to life across everything the brand says and does. Over time, success will be seen in tangible impacts—new opportunities, growth, and strengthening DNEG's place at the forefront of creative technology."