Netflix
Expanding a cinematic universe
Entertainment
2023
As the world’s leading streaming platform, Netflix needed to evolve its graphic language to authentically reflect cinema’s visual sophistication across the product experience. Moving beyond the flat, over-saturated look common in tech and streaming, the brand required a design system that could resonate with film enthusiasts while remaining universally accessible and unmistakably Netflix across every screen and touchpoint.
Netflix
Expanding a cinematic universe
Entertainment
2023
Challenge
As the world’s leading streaming platform, Netflix needed to evolve its graphic language to authentically reflect cinema’s visual sophistication across the product experience. Moving beyond the flat, over-saturated look common in tech and streaming, the brand required a design system that could resonate with film enthusiasts while remaining universally accessible and unmistakably Netflix across every screen and touchpoint.
Strategy
We developed a cinematic-first approach that tied iconography, typography, and illustration directly to the craft of filmmaking—drawing from the techniques and effects that define cinema itself. Rooted in Netflix’s values of being pioneering, welcoming, and always stimulating, the new system elevates the platform’s cultural credibility with cinephiles while maintaining broad appeal and functional clarity for all viewers.
Identity
Inspired by cinema’s own visual vocabulary, we created a toolkit that feels inherently Netflix yet speaks in the language of film. Typography flexes from clear, functional legibility to bold, cinematic title treatments, adapting fluidly to genre-specific and thematic needs. Iconography remains consistent across formats and ratios, while illustration techniques echo real filmmaking processes—adding moments of joy, texture, and discovery throughout the user experience.
Application
The evolved system stretches seamlessly from intimate mobile viewing to large-screen cinematic experiences, ensuring continuity across Netflix’s vast content ecosystem. Dynamic typography and iconography adapt to everything from UI design to genre campaigns and promotional materials. This modular flexibility allows for thematic variation while maintaining a unifying cinematic thread that ties all communications and touchpoints back to Netflix.
Outcome
Netflix now has a design system that authentically bridges streaming and cinema—elevating the brand from service provider to cultural institution. The evolution positions Netflix as the platform that both celebrates and advances film culture, strengthening its bond with casual viewers and cinephiles alike. By honoring the art form at the heart of its business, Netflix sets itself apart in an increasingly crowded streaming landscape.
























