Deception has entered the chat
The Anonymous
The Anonymous is a high-stakes strategic competition where players navigate two worlds—one face-to-face in reality and the other hidden behind a digital mask. In Anonymous Mode, contestants communicate in secrecy, free to manipulate and deceive without consequence. The ultimate goal: to outwit, outplay, and remain undetected. With anonymity as their greatest weapon, players must master perception and deception to seize control and eliminate their rivals.
The Anonymous - Overview
Our role was to create a comprehensive visual identity that shaped every aspect of the show—from branding and on-screen graphics to a fully functional UI system that enabled real-time anonymous communication. This extended beyond digital design, with our work influencing interactive gameplay elements, physical puzzles, and in-show explainers, ensuring a seamless integration of the show’s aesthetic across both virtual and real-world experiences.
The visual identity of The Anonymous was built on three stylistic directions—Infinite Neon, Future Pop, and Modern Cyberpunk—each inspired by a mix of contemporary technology, immersive lighting, and digital futurism. From the sleek minimalism of Apple and James Turrell’s ethereal light installations to the electrified aesthetics of TRON: Legacy and PlayStation idents, these influences shaped a world where anonymity and deception could thrive.
The final show aesthetic merged elements from all three routes, combining pill-shaped UI components and hyper-saturated gradients with razor-sharp neon edges. This fusion was more than just a branding exercise—it had to function as a real, interactive software, enabling players to communicate anonymously via transparent screens while maintaining a bold, high-tech identity that extended across live graphics and in-show visuals.
This balance between futuristic design and practical usability was crucial. The UI had to feel intuitive while reinforcing the show’s core themes of strategy, secrecy, and control—a visually striking digital world that players could manipulate to their advantage.
From the earliest design explorations, each visual route featured its own distinct avatar system, referred to as ‘handles' - which players use to hide their real identity.
We developed a modular design system, allowing each handle to be expressive, individual, and visually unique while still maintaining cohesion within the broader set. The final handle blueprint used intricate 2D geometric structures, made up of interlocking polygons with glowing neon edges and deep, saturated gradients.
This polygonal aesthetic was carried through multiple aspects of the show, from on-screen graphics to physical puzzles.
The handles were also used in games such as the show’s opening episode, where contestants had to memorise and recall a sequence of handles from a waterfall-style screen—further reinforcing the importance of these digital identities within the game.
At the core of The Anonymous was DANI, the show’s smart voice assistant—a digital presence that both guided and manipulated players throughout the competition. DANI existed not just as a narrative device but as a character with influence and control over the game’s progression.
Visually, DANI was designed to feel intelligent, omnipresent, and slightly mischievous. While early explorations considered giving her a face, the final design took inspiration from modern AI visualisations like Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, opting instead for a dynamic 3D network of interconnected polygons. This web of energy and motion represented DANI’s intelligence and reach—faceless yet ever-present, controlling the game from behind the scenes.
A vibrant palette of hot pinks and oranges was used to express DANI’s personality—bold, playful, yet commanding. Her on-screen presence extended beyond voice interactions, appearing across real-time graphics, game sequences, and across the broadcast graphics kit supplied for the edit.
Beyond the digital interface, our work extended into the physical game design, working closely with the production team to translate digital aesthetics into real-world interactive elements. One of the most striking examples was a life-sized aerial puzzle, designed to replicate the bird’s-eye view of the show’s signature Circle House. This puzzle was built using the same visual language as the on-screen graphics, reinforcing the cohesion between digital and physical gameplay.
Other key in-show graphic elements included:
• Visual explainers that clarified game mechanics for contestants and viewers.
• On-screen overlays featuring prize totals, player names, and game indicators, ensuring that the visual identity remained consistent throughout the broadcast.
By aligning the interactive real-world elements with the digital design system, The Anonymous delivered a seamless, immersive experience where the boundaries between physical and digital gameplay blurred.
Production: Studio Lambert
Creative Director: James Mobbs
Motion and Brand Design: James Mobbs & Callum Jackson
Real Time Graphics: Kenziko / Pete Lane
Music: Patrizio Knight