Brexit: The Uncivil War
- Typography
- On screen graphics
- Titles
Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, written by James Graham and directed by Toby Haynes, Brexit, The Uncivil War was an HBO and Channel 4 international co-production first aired in 2019. Outthought was commissioned to specify and create artwork for typography used throughout the film, including the logotype used in promotion, the title sequence, and on-screen captions and graphics used to introduce key characters and their allegiances.
Problems with typographic gravitas
Outthought was brought in to specifically solve a problem with typography. The Brexit campaign was rife with recognisable typographic styling – the utilitarian sans-serifs making outlandish claims about the NHS on the side of a bus, the ‘Take Back Control’ sloganeering, etc. However, the HBO and Channel 4 joint production wanted to take a different tack and rather refer to the momentous nature of the political moment.
The fall of empire
Taking a cue from classical Roman stone carving on Trajan’s column, itself the product of an empire rife with political turmoil, Outthought created a typographic identity using the Trajan typeface to reflect the gravitas and historical nature of the moment.
Outthought designed and typeset the film’s opening titles and the logotype used across global promotions for the film, including physical format packaging and streaming thumbnails.
Outthought, just get it. Their understanding of the vision for our projects brings the work to life in completely unexpected ways.
