TomSka & Friends

After TomSka posted on social media about wanting to refresh their other YouTube channel and branding, I reached out and was picked to do a few initial designs to see if they liked any of them. I did a few that didn't fit, but the last one I pitched was chosen, and I developed it over many months with them, until they started using it in their newest videos!

They were moving away from their series Content, and wanted something different that matched with their new direction of Try Hards challenges, video essays, and more. Instead of digital graphics, I wanted to make something that felt real, in person, tactile, so I ended up going the direction of crumpled paper and natural textures. I landed on this "Ransom Note" design, with each letter of 'Friends', like the people on the channel, being a bit different. The word TomSka went through a few font options until they asked for Tom's actual signature, again, going for something more personal, and real.

They wanted to keep the checkerboard, but I wanted to make it wavy and warpy so it felt different than the usual ska style. I didn't try and stick to the same colors as their Content colors, but a few of the bright pastels ended up being the same. Making it almost CYMK again felt more real, and physical color than the RGB we are used to on our screens.

Overall, I'm incredibly happy with how this came out. The shifting FRIENDS text in the animated version looked amazing when I first tried it. As of April 2025 they are only using the animation and style in the videos, but soon they should be using the same branding across the whole channel, and I'm excited to see it and do more with them!