Upon hearing the phrase "male-oriented television programming", images of buxom babes hoisting beers while driving monster trucks on football fields just kinda spring to mind. But when New York-based creative studio Flying Machine was given the job to brand MOJO, a block of Y chromosome-centric shows on iN Demand's INHD channel, the choice was made early on to steer away from such imagery - or at the very least, to replace the monster trucks with Ferraris.

"The number one challenge is that a lot of male-oriented TV is not taken seriously or done in a high-end way, unless it's done for a wealthier male demographic," says Flying Machine founder/CD Micha Riss. "The challenge was not to fall into the clichés. And if you use some stuff that's overused - the sexy ladies, the sports cars, the beer and wine - don't present it in the cheapest or loudest way."

Thus, Flying Machine, in collaboration with iN Demand creative director Paul Iannacchino, operated under the maxim (pun intended) that MOJO appeals to what Riss calls "regular, sophisticated men". Channel idents, :30 opens and the :50 launch promo all ooze class - artfully shot black and white clips, coupled with evocative sound design from Burst's Roland Alley, capture sexy silhouettes that mirror MOJO's slant towards entertainment, tech, music and adventure.

"This is a channel that airs on an HD network, and you don't watch HD for graphics, you watch it for beautiful pictures," says Flying Machine EP Tommy Shay. "So we didn't want it to be mucked up with a lot of graphics - we wanted something clean, elegant and beautifully shot." Shooting entirely on 35mm and transferring to HD, the emphasis was on "clean shots" and "straight cuts".

Alley's sound design came from Flying Machine's concept to, in Riss' words, "use sound design that was illustrative and not just needle-drop or coming up with the traditional mnemonic." Shay says that after deliberating, the team felt "there wasn't a song that we could attach to MOJO. It was more about creating a feeling."

The focal point - a logo incorporating the pointy male symbol - further drives home the MOJO philosophy that, as Shay puts it, "there are smart men out there."

"iN Demand had a couple of agencies pitching to them, and while they all had a good understanding of what was wanted, no one really seemed to be able to nail the logo," he explains. "And those people that did, didn't have a philosophy for the brand itself.

"Putting the male symbol on the 'o' - even the people at iN Demand were like 'Yeah, it's nice, but what's the idea with the bracket on the end?' Eventually you saw the light bulb go off over their heads. It was masculine looking and clever."

Flying Machine http://www.flyingmachine.tv
MOJO http://www.mojohd.com