Crunchyroll, the anime streaming service owned as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Japan’s Aniplex, unveiled a comprehensive brand refresh in July 2024. The updated identity includes a modernized logo featuring a balanced eye symbol and a revamped wordmark, designed to blend classic and modern aesthetics. The new look was introduced at San Diego Comic-Con on July 25, 2024, and rolled out across all fan touchpoints over the following year. [1] [2]
The 2024 refresh retained Crunchyroll’s recognizable orange color while introducing black, white, and taupe to the palette. The new brand identity package was led by Crunchyroll’s Markus Gerdemann (Senior Vice President, Marketing) and Norman Rabinovich (Vice President, Creative Services). [3] The rebranding effort also included collaborations with Japanese artists on new textures and patterns to enhance the brand’s authenticity. [4]
Prior to the 2024 update, Crunchyroll’s logo had featured an eye-like symbol since around 2012. The earlier logo from 2006 to 2012 resembled an actual crunchy roll, with playful lettering. The 2024 refresh modernized the eye symbol to a more balanced form while keeping the core visual concept. [5] [6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The eye symbol has been a consistent element of Crunchyroll’s identity since around 2012, and the 2024 refresh refined it into a balanced form. The eye motif is widely associated with anime and manga visual culture. The vibrant orange color, described by Crunchyroll’s COO Gita Rebbapragada as the “new Crunchyroll orange,” was retained and emphasized in the refresh. [4] [6]
The rebrand also introduced a new glyph system featuring over 139 anime and manga-inspired characters, adding depth and personality to the brand’s visual language. A new seven-second audio-visual mnemonic was created with anime-inspired sound design. [3]
Typography and Design
The 2024 rebrand introduced a custom font set called Crunchyroll Atyp, designed to blend classic and modern elements for improved readability. [1] The Japanese creative studio Whatever Co. participated as a creative partner, creating over 100 uniquely designed glyphs inspired by 16 expressions characteristic of manga and anime, such as “manpu” (manga symbols) and onomatopoeia. These glyphs were designed to work alongside the Crunchyroll Atyp brand font. [7]
Whatever Co. also collaborated with four Japanese manga artists, Hirofumi Neda, Tina Yamashina, Tomofumi Ogasawara, and Natsuo Sai, to create original manga based on storylines conceived by Crunchyroll. These works were incorporated into various visuals used in the rebranding. The project received a Clio Entertainment 2024 Gold award in the Design, Network Identity Package category. [7]
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