PlanetF1 Rebrand 🏁 PlanetF1 is one of the world’s leading independent Formula One media platforms, established in 1999 and part of the Planet Sport Group. Known for its global audience and trusted race coverage, it delivers breaking news, analysis and live weekend reporting to millions of F1 fans worldwide. I led the rebrand and wider visual overhaul of the platform. Working closely with key stakeholders, I drove the research and discovery phase before designing and presenting a refreshed identity system built to position PlanetF1 as a modern, digital-first brand for Formula One audiences. The identity needed to feel fast, precise and unmistakably connected to the sport, while elevating the platform’s presence within an increasingly competitive sports media landscape. It also needed to support high-frequency publishing across news, live coverage and social content. The final identity introduces a new icon inspired by the Formula One “mini-map”, acting as a directional system to reflect speed, positioning and race tracking. Supported by updated brand guidelines and enhanced motion capabilities, the system creates a more dynamic and consistent visual language across digital and social platforms, strengthening PlanetF1’s presence as the sport moves “On the Grid”.

The rebrand feels fast without relying on obvious racing clichés. The system has enough energy for live coverage and enough structure for trusted analysis.

For me, it’s cultural context. AI can generate references, but it can’t fully replicate lived experience. As a South African creative, so much of my work relies on instinct, memory, language and the nuances of how we actually experience our culture.

When I’m reimagining iconic or legacy South African brands, the success of the work depends just as much on what I bring to it as the tool itself; my lived experience, cultural memory, understanding of our language, humour, visual codes and the way South Africans actually experience these brands.

The technology can help me execute an idea faster, but it can’t replace the instinct behind why something feels recognisably South African, why a certain reference matters, or why one creative choice will resonate more deeply than another.

Fabulous work, I keep circling back to it! 🤍

This lines up with what I see in branding work. The tool speeds up execution, but choosing which cultural reference actually carries weight is the part only lived experience gets right, and that instinct is what makes the work feel local instead of generic.