VH1

VH1 amplified

VH1 is at the center of pop culture, music and entertainment. As the VH1 brand evolved, the opportunity extended outside of the on-air world, it also required how VH1 would live in the streaming first experience.

As the Art Director at VH1, I led the creation of the digital design system for VH1, spanning platforms such as iOS, Android, Roku and Xbox. I aligned on-air creative, engineering, and leadership around a shared vision, ensuring that our brand extended beyond visuals into motion, interaction, and platform-native behaviors.

Opportunity

Along with the prospect to build a strong foundation for our streaming app to support full-episode viewing, the experience needed to work beyond VH1 and the scalability to work with other Viacom properties. In addition, the app will need to support authentication with cable providers (SSO), ad-supported revenue and extend the brand beyond the TV screen.

The challenges of designing an experience that worked with a wide range of audiences. It spanned from Gen X who were familiar with linear TV to the younger, digital-native audiences with very different expectations around streaming, ads and access. The opportunity was to bring these needs together into a flexible, intuitive experience that felt approachable and future-ready.

How we got here

1. Discovery & Research
   • Conducted stakeholder interviews to identify business goals and technical constraints
   • Analyzed user needs across different audience segments, with special focus on child-friendly design
   • Audited existing platforms for inconsistencies and pain points
2. Defining Core Experience
   • Established universal design foundations: typography, color palette, iconography, and interaction patterns
   • Collaborated with engineering to ensure SSO flows would be intuitive and consistent on all platforms
3. Platform Adaptation
   • Mobile (iOS/Android): Prioritized touch interactions and mobile-first layouts
   • Ensured quick access to key features, scanability and parental controls for children’s content
   • TV/Xbox: Designed for the “10-foot experience” with oversized UI elements, simplified navigation, and high-contrast visuals for readability from a distance. Developed remote-friendly navigation patterns and visual cues for selection/highlighting.
   • Maintained branding while introducing property-specific visual moments to reinforce identity.
4. Iteration & Testing
   • Developed interactive prototypes for each platform.
   • Conducted usability testing with users of different ages and backgrounds
   • Incorporated feedback to refine navigation, accessibility, and visual hierarchy.

Where this landed

After a series of working sessions with teams of different principles and Viacom properties, this work resulted in a scalable foundation that supported consistent experiences across platforms while meeting user and business objectives. After launch, the app surpassed 1M downloads, reinforcing product direction and foundational design decisions.

The final result enabled full-episode viewing, SSO with an incentive and supported ad-based monetization without sacrificing the user experience. The foundation consisted of design patterns that were used across properties repeatedly which allowed room for other teams to focus on how they can bring their brands to life. Areas of where brand comes to life in the scalable foundation were explored in the typography, color, and animation. Furthermore, this helped aligned stakeholders around a shared understanding of how streaming experience came together.

Decisions & Constraints

As with any foundational work, this project involved meaningful tradeoffs. The most significant was balancing ease of access with the need to drive authentication. While early authentication supported business goals, introducing it too aggressively risked user drop‑off. We chose to prioritize trust and intent‑based incentives over immediate conversion.

Another key challenge was designing for a wide demographic range—from Gen X viewers to younger, streaming‑native audiences. Rather than over‑optimizing for a single group or leaning into overly experimental patterns, the experience emphasized clarity, familiarity, and flexibility to serve a broad audience effectively.

Shaping direction

This project required strong cross‑functional alignment. I worked closely with product management, engineering, and business partners to frame problems, define success criteria, and navigate competing priorities.

By clearly articulating tradeoffs and grounding decisions in both user needs and long‑term platform goals, I helped build alignment across teams and create momentum toward a shared vision. This approach ensured decisions scaled beyond the immediate project and supported future properties.

Key Takeaways

This work reinforced the importance of designing for behavioral overlap rather than demographic labels. While viewing habits varied across segments, there were consistent moments of hesitation—particularly around content discovery and understanding where to go next. Focusing on these shared moments proved more effective than tailoring experiences too narrowly.

In this study, the true power lay in the practice of restraint. When building foundational systems, prioritizing clarity and consistency over novelty created a stronger base for growth.

What this unlocked

By establishing a clear and flexible foundation, this work enabled future teams to focus on evolving content, monetization, and feature strategy rather than rebuilding core experiences. The system provided a shared starting point that supported faster iteration, stronger brand expression, and continued platform growth.

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