Contra is a senior project by Jad Sawaya at the Lebanese American University.
The channel promotes curiosity and culture in a visually appealing way while showing an interest to pop culture and current events. The media targets Lebanese young adults looking for alternative culture and identify to the main rationale behind the project. The branding and on-air graphics are a direct critique of the local TV scene. Going back to the nuclear form of any broadcast, the pixel, Contra’s identity and idents are more than visuals, they are a statement.
The board attached to a TV set encodes the feed to a grid of moving pixels
The Idents
Pixel idents are created by filming existing Lebanese TV shows and broadcasts through a filter creating colourful, vibrant and expressing visuals that reflect the alternative nature of the channel. The idents are produced by manually by fiming the TV set and positioning the pixel filter on the screen (no additional computer animation or manipulation was used)
The pixel maker encodes the current programming and feed of current local Lebanese TV channels, to create this array of pixels that creates a brand new identity.
The Show Openers
Contra's own shows are branded with the nature of the project in mind. Macro shots are taken of old TV sets, often on static, to preserve the analogue mood of the channel. Broadcast graphics also reflect the curiosity and quirkiness with optical illusions and revealing elements.
The demo
The Posters