‘American Voices’ uses current social unrest as base for its graphics

As part of a weekend schedule overhaul, MSNBC debuted a new show featuring Alicia Menendez entitled “American Voices” that uses graphics to create a cohesive look of the country as a whole as well as the challenges and division facing it.

The show, which debuted Sept. 19, 2020, features a textural, crumpled paper style look with a color palette that combined more muted steel blues, yellows browns and reds with brighter blues, orange and teal.

The show’s open features and wipes incorporated an oversized version of its logotype, created with bold condensed typography with stars at the point where both the “hooks” of the “C”s meet.

The second one of these stars sometimes make the word “Voices” appear to be “Voiges.” 

Illustrations and photography are combined to showcase rallies, protests and hot button issues, with the show’s title card appearing as a protest sign.

Along with the logotype, the title card features an outline of the United States formed from a variety of human figure icons (similar to the ones seen on restroom signage).

With a deep blue incorporated here, the overall look is essentially a take on “red, white and blue” but with the added range of tones, presumably indicative of diversity, behind it in the map.

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The show is being anchored from the vista video wall alcove of the “NBC Nightly NewsStudio 3C with a hybrid cityscape incorporating, among other buildings, including the perhaps most recognizable Seattle Space Needle and St. Louis Gateway Arch.

Over the should of Menendex is a large version of the show’s logo displayed on a “billboard.”

The “American Voices” brand was previously used by right leaning outlet The Daily Caller, though it doesn’t appear to have been used since mid-2019.