Context

Black Ops is a BBC comedy thriller following two community support officers who find themselves drawn into undercover police work. We were brought in to create the title treatment, key art and a series of character posters for the show.

Challenge

The series moves between the tension of a crime thriller and the timing of a comedy, and its visuals needed to hold both at once. Leaning too far in either direction would have misrepresented the show before anyone had watched it.

Solution

The title treatment takes its cues from the hard edges of the genre, set with enough play to signal that the show doesn't take itself entirely seriously. The character portraits bring out the grit of the subject matter while letting the cast's humour come through, and the colour grade was kept slightly warm so a sense of comfort sits beneath the edge. The result reads as a thriller at first glance, and as a comedy when you register the deeper details.