Television Network Graphics

The Ask

Create a comprehensive on-air graphics package for ION Television — including show bumpers, promotional graphics, and branded motion elements for programming blocks featuring Chicago Fire, Law & Order: SVU, and NCIS.

The Challenge: Design graphics that work within the network's existing brand guidelines while elevating the visual language for key programming blocks. Each element needed to transition seamlessly between show-specific branding and network-level identity.

Target Audience: ION Television viewers, network programming teams, affiliate stations
Distribution: On-Air Broadcast

Creative Direction

Polished, network-appropriate, and versatile. The graphics needed to feel premium enough for prime-time programming while remaining adaptable across different show genres — from the gritty urgency of a crime procedural to the high-stakes drama of a firefighting series. The unified design system uses consistent motion language (directional wipes, light streak transitions) with show-specific color grading.

Visual Approach: Sleek light-streak transitions, branded color zones per show, network logo integration
Tone: Professional broadcast quality — clean, fast, and immediately recognizable as network-level production

The Process

Broadcast Design & Animation:
All graphics were designed and animated in After Effects, with static assets prepared in Photoshop and Illustrator. The network's existing brand guidelines defined the foundational color palette and logo usage rules, which I extended into a motion design system — defining how elements enter, hold, and exit across bumpers, promos, and interstitial graphics.

Workflow:

Brand Audit: Reviewed ION Television's existing on-air graphics, brand guidelines, and competitor network packages to identify the visual opportunity.
Template Design: Created a modular graphics system in Illustrator — bumper frames, lower thirds, show title cards, and transition elements all sharing a consistent grid and type hierarchy.
Show Adaptation: Developed color-coded variants for each show block — warm amber for Chicago Fire, cool steel blue for Law & Order: SVU, deep navy for NCIS.
Animation: Built all animations in After Effects with consistent motion principles — directional wipes matching reading direction, logo reveals timed to audio cues, and hold times optimized for broadcast pacing.
Delivery: Exported final assets in broadcast-spec formats with alpha channels for compositing into the live playout system.

System Thinking Over One-Offs: Network graphics aren't individual pieces — they're a system. Every element needs to work together, transition into each other, and maintain consistency across hours of programming.
Broadcast Timing Is Non-Negotiable: Hold times, transition durations, and safe-area compliance aren't creative choices — they're technical requirements. Learning to design within these constraints made the work stronger.
Show Identity Within Network Identity: The most effective approach was establishing the network brand as the "frame" and each show's identity as the "content" — so viewers always know what network they're watching, even as the show branding changes.

Impact: Graphics were deployed across ION Television's programming blocks, supporting the on-air presentation of their prime-time lineup and contributing to a cohesive viewer experience across the network's branded content.

Mediums Used

Motion Graphics, Broadcast Design, Art Direction – Max Richardson

ADOBE AFTER EFFECTS | ADOBE ILLUSTRATOR | ADOBE PHOTOSHOP

Professional broadcast work for ION Television.

Max Richardson

Television Network: Broadcast Graphics Package

The Ask

Final Output

Creative Direction

The Process

Key Insights Gained

Mediums Used