Viewers remember the channel before they remember the episode.
A channel lives on the people who come back. Sinh Vũ gives your channel a face that is recognizable in a tiny thumbnail, a consistent cover template, and a sponsor profile that is clear on first read.
Three things come first: an icon that reads in a tiny thumbnail, one cover template for every episode, and a channel profile for sponsors. Those three decide whether viewers recognize the channel as they scroll, and whether brands understand where the channel stands.
Reads at profile-picture size on a phone and at the tile size of a podcast app.
The same layout, with the same places for the episode title and the guest, so every episode is recognizably the channel's.
States who the channel is for, what it talks about, and how brands can work with it.
All of them make content, but the viewers and brands of each kind differ, so what the brand has to say differs too.
Their customersViewers follow by topic and come back out of habit.
Brand challengeA steady look so viewers recognize the channel at a glance, and know right away that a new episode belongs to it.
Their customersListeners choose by host and topic, and listen where there is no picture.
Brand challengeMake the channel more memorable than its guests, and make the imagery on listening apps, social media and video speak in one voice.
Their customersBrands and organizations that need a video, a podcast or a channel of their own choose a studio by the work it has made.
Brand challengeGive the studio a face of its own, separate from the channels it makes for others, so new clients see the studio's style.
These are the places where channels lose viewers and sponsors, and where content quality alone can't save them.
Each episode has its own layout and typeface, so a viewer scrolling past can't tell it is a new episode of a channel they follow.
A fixed cover template: set places for the channel name, episode title, face and color. Only the photo and the title change from episode to episode.
Start from this problemViewers remember the guest's name and forget the channel's. Guests share the episode and nobody knows which channel made it.
Put the channel name and mark on every shareable image, and write a one-sentence way to introduce the channel.
Start from this problemBrands receive a file of numbers without knowing who the listeners are, what voice the channel speaks in, or how a partnership would work.
A short profile that tells who the channel is for, describes each segment and the forms of partnership, with examples of past episodes.
Start from this problemEvery episode opens differently, the ident is sometimes there and sometimes not, and viewers never form the habit of watching on.
A short opening and a fixed ident reused in every episode, with a vertical version for short video.
Start from this problemAt the See stage. Viewers meet a channel for the first time through one small cover among many others. If the cover isn't distinctive enough, they scroll past, however good the episode is.
Touchpoints are the places where viewers see the channel before they click. You don't need to do everything at once. These five decide most of whether the channel gets recognized.
It appears at the smallest size, in every app and on every platform.
It is the first thing viewers see when they scroll the recommendations.
It builds a habit, so viewers know they are in the right channel.
It is where new viewers decide whether to follow.
Brands usually read the profile before getting in touch, so the profile speaks for the channel.
Listed in the order to do them. A new channel can stop at step two; a studio goes on to the profile.
Name, icon, color and type: the base for every cover and every platform.
The cover template and a set of visuals reusable for every episode and season.
The opening, the ident and a vertical version for short video.
The channel profile to send to sponsors and partners.
When several people work on the channel: guidelines so that whoever makes it, it comes out in one voice.
Sinh Vũ has not published a podcast or YouTube project. The two below solve the nearest problems: a listening channel that must be recognized without a picture, and a music service that must stand out where there are already many choices.
2011JoyFM is the specialised health radio channel of Hanoi Radio and Television Station, broadcasting on FM 98.9 MHz. Sinh Vũ built the mark, the guideline system and the corporate profile…
A radio channel has no picture, so its mark and its voice have to do the work. JoyFM built a position for the channel (warm like a friend, not dry like a clinic) and used it as the yardstick for every design decision.
Keeng is Viettel's music service for young Vietnamese, stepping into a crowded market. Sinh Vũ shaped the name, the interface and the promotional system so Keeng could ring out clearly…
A name and a mark must be recognized where plenty of familiar choices already sit. Keeng set the two e's off the line, so the name rings on its own and is memorable at once.
The principles behind it
Choose a simple shape with few small details, and test it at phone profile-picture size before you settle. If it has to be read as text, use a short name or initials.
Each podcast app has its own requirements and they can change, so check the current guidelines of the app you use. Sinh Vũ builds cover art as a square and keeps the type in the middle zone, so cropping at the edges loses no text.
A short one, yes. Sponsors need to know who the channel is for and how a partnership works before they look at the numbers. A one-page version is enough to start.
Tell your followers in advance, keep what they are used to, such as the color or the type, and change the rest gradually across the profile picture, video covers and the intro. Changing everything in one day can make viewers think it is a different channel.
A podcast can be heard in many places, but people search and share through images. At the least you need cover art, a quote-card template and a short video clip, all in one style.
A few lines about your organization, your audience and what is holding you back is enough. Sinh Vũ reads and replies within one working day.