Apple TV’s striking new intro sequence — unveiled earlier this week as part of the streamer’s rebranding from Apple TV+ — was made entirely with real glass and light, not CGI. The cinematic visuals that now precede Apple content were built practically and captured in-camera, reports Ad Age, marking one of Apple’s most tactile branding efforts to date in an era dominated by digital rendering and generative AI.
The new branding was created in collaboration with Apple’s longtime advertising agency, TBWA\Media Arts Lab, with production handled by London-based Optical Arts. The visual identity centers on shifting layers of colored light, designed to symbolize the breadth of genres and emotions Apple TV has cultivated since its 2019 debut. Each layer of colour glides and refracts like living glass, creating an immersive visual metaphor for storytelling itself.
Finneas, the Grammy-winning producer and brother of Billie Eilish, composed the new sonic logo — a short, piano-led theme he described as “the bite of ginger between rolls” for binge-watchers. Three variations of the intro exist: a five-second sequence that plays before TV episodes, a one-second sting used in trailers and the like, and a 12-second cinematic version reserved for Apple Studios feature films.
According to Ad Age, the entire intro was filmed using sheets of real glass illuminated by precisely choreographed lighting setups, then captured through the lens rather than rendered digitally. You can take a look for yourself in Ad Age‘s behind-the-scenes video of the process.
The decision to shoot it practically reflects Apple’s long-running commitment to craftsmanship and camera-first artistry — an ethos Tor Myhren, Apple’s VP of marketing communications, emphasized at last year’s Cannes Lions Festival when he said Apple would “continue to value human artistry even as it embraces AI tools.”
The lush visuals are expected to ripple across the Apple TV ecosystem in the coming months, from app interfaces to marketing materials. Together with Finneas’ warm, resonant sonic logo, the new Apple TV identity bridges technology and artistry in a reflection of Apple’s cinematic ambitions.
In Canada, Apple TV is available for $14.99 per month.
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