Howcast identity design

Identity design is about producing more than just a logo. Stand-alone static marks are essential, don’t get me wrong, but by containing them within an identity package, top designers and agencies create a visual language that improves the consistency of the brand message.
“Paula Scher and her team designed the identity for Howcast, the popular how-to video site that was profiled in Sunday’s New York Times. Howcast hosts a library of over 100,000 short instructional videos—everything from how to type faster on your iPhone to how to survive a bear attack—and its videos received over 20 million plays in June alone.”
Quoted from the Pentragram website
At first I found the H a little jarring, but the more I look, the more I see it leads the eye nicely through the word mark.

The Howcast H monogram.

The H shape becomes a chevron used in the site graphics.


You can read more about the Howcast identity on the Pentagram blog.
Here’s a small selection of Howcast videos where you can see the identity in use (along with the accompanying icon designs, also by Pentagram):
- How to take a man’s portrait
- How to paper train your dog
- How to negotiate an apartment lease
- How to detect a lie
- How to create a public Google calendar and add to your website (Uploaded by a Howcast user, so not as professional, but covers something I’ve thought about doing.)














18 appreciated comments, click here to add one
BebopDesigner
Love the concept! very inspiring. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
Aug 24th, 2009
Abbas
Is it just me, or is that (almost) a stick man on it’s side??
Aug 24th, 2009
David Airey
Abbas, you could say that about any instance where a lowercase “o” follows an uppercase “H”…
…Ho
(I’m not calling you names.)
Aug 24th, 2009
Rachel
You’re right the H is a little jarring at first, but it’s versatility is brilliant.
Aug 24th, 2009
Nick Wichman
Paula Scher and her Pentagram crew seriously do their work well. I am pleasantly surprised with every new brand they create and every redesign they do. I love ‘em!
@nickwichman
Aug 24th, 2009
Abbas
I suppose you could say that, it was the initial glance. It’s the way they’ve displayed the ‘H’.
I wonder if they noticed it?
I must admit I like the ‘H’ as a mark in its own right. However, i’m not on the complete logo.
Aug 24th, 2009
Gerard Syms
Hey, David. I’ve got to echo Nick Wichman’s observations: Paula Scher and her team are doing some attention-getting work of late, (to me, that is) and it is minimalist in nature. They seem to get right down to the kernel of a quality or idea and their ability to bring it to life is seriously skillful.Looking at the ‘H’, I see an arrow, an arrow that leads you or directs you to answers, in this instance, the answer to the question ‘How?’
And, ‘No’, I haven’t even clicked over to the Pentagram blog!
Thanks again for the post.
All the best.
Aug 25th, 2009
Benga
Very simplistic and yet highly effective. The logo in itself acts has a a directive force, urging you to browse the how to videos and put what you’ve learned into good use.
Benga creative
Aug 25th, 2009
Paul Singh
Simple and nice. The best part about the logo – it can be effortlessly taken across any medium. Cheers.
Aug 25th, 2009
Martin
I’m with Abbas on this. The ‘H’ mark is very nice, and the animated flickery thing is great, but I feel it’s a little awkward when placed within the ‘Howcast’ logotype.
And I disagree too with the general consensus on Pentagram’s recent output. They are not what they once were (which was a truly world-leading branding agency). But maybe that’s a discussion/argument for another day ;)
Aug 25th, 2009
Anthony Keller
It is very nice. I’ve always been a fan of Paula’s work. However, for some reason I don’t like the balance in the design. I think that if the point of the H was actually in the center of the O it would flow better for me.
Aug 25th, 2009
Carlos Escobar
I agree with Martin, The H is fine on it’s own but when place with the rest of the mark feels very awkward, the size of the H next to all the other letters doesn’t seem right. I’m not sure that I really GET why it points the way it does, I don’t feel urged to watch any videos because of it like Benga said. I see the full logo and it looks more like a work in progress to me, unfinished. I get the idea of applying the shape elsewhere but the only connection I can see is maybe to a play symbol, but the player doesn’t even use it as one, it uses a generic play button, maybe they’re still working on that?
Aug 25th, 2009
Ian Houghton
Think I’m going to back the naysayers on this one I’m afraid. It’s not a bad idea, but I feel it could have been better executed. I feel like part of the problem is the way the top and bottom rounded edges contrast with the sharp inner corners, it makes the logo feel unbalanced. Together with the sort-of-uncomfortable way it sits kerned with the ‘owcast’, the whole thing is a little off-putting.
Aug 26th, 2009
David Airey
I held off for a day before replying, so I could come back to the logotype with a possibly different outlook.
I still love the stand-alone H mark, and how the shape is incorporated through the Howcast videos, but I can see how you find the wordmark off-balance.
If there’s one negative aspect that stands out for me, it’s the use of the logotype alongside text that uses the same typeface. Like so:
See how the H of Howcast is larger than the standard capital (comparing it to the N of Now)? I wonder if the balance would be improved with a slightly smaller H. Although maybe the type size is just a bit smaller for the additional wording.
The tight and loose letterspacing is jarring. I imagine it’s either the client or a third party who created the ad block.
I’m still liking it, on the whole, and believe the unique H is enough to make the otherwise simple-in-appearance logotype memorable.
Aug 26th, 2009
Matty
I really like the symbol on its own. It works well with regards to it being versatile. The initial logo was not so impressive to me but it seems it works for the overall identity.
Aug 26th, 2009
Amanda Vlahakis
I like the idea, but I get a feeling that it would look less jarring if the H were shunted down a bit.
Perhaps so that the central striking through bar of the H was centralised with the height of the rest of the text rather than the bottom of the H sitting on the same line as the rest of the text if you know what I mean.
Sep 23rd, 2009
David
Is the Boxee typeface the same? Comparing the w’s the logotype seems to have rounded edges. Maybe that’s just the bold weight of the font.
I am unfortunately unable to see either the H or the chevron as a flat shape – even though I know they are, I can only perceive them as 3D objects. This probably stops me from making a decent critique.
Nov 9th, 2009
Reply to “Howcast identity design”
All comments are subject to the Logo Design Love comment policy.