Hololive is the name of the Japanese talent agency, which unites the most famous YouTubers under one roof. The agency, created by Motoaki Tanigi in 2016, has more than 50 contributors, all of whom are conquering the Internet and breaking records.
Hololive is a division of Cover Corp, a Japanese startup created by Motoaki “Yagoo” Tanigo. Often referred to as the father of VTubers, Yagoo, began exploring the concept of these virtual artists in 2017, inspired by Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku .
It doesn’t look like VTubermania will slow down anytime soon. This trend originated in Japan in the early 2010s but did not become widespread until the creation of Kizuna AI in late 2016. Considered the first VTuber in history, Kizuna exceeded streamers’ expectations and brought virtual reality widely into entertainment.
After that, VTubers exploded around the world. As of this writing, there are more than 10,000 known VTubers. These VTubers are also placed with talent agencies, the largest of which is Hololive.
Cover Corp was founded in 2016, and Hololive Production was first launched in 2017. Currently, Hololive is composed of a team of About 50 virtual YouTubers. According to the agency’s website, the total subscriber count in the various channels is about 4.4 million on YouTube and 4 million on Bilibili.
Finally, in mid-2020, some agencies decided to get serious about exporting to Western countries. In September, the Japanese company Hololive Production, the most prominent player in the market, introduced the Hololive EN team of English-language VTubers designed specifically for Western audiences.
In 2021 the Cover Corp has unleashed a full-scale promo for the long-awaited Hololive Alternative project. Which started up pretty secretly, with only one thing known about it — the stated goal of the outrage is “to create an alternative, previously non-existing world”.
At the moment the “Alternative” project is expected to collaborate with different mangaka to create the official comics (among them there was supposed to be the well-known in small circles hentai artist Mizuryu Kei, but it didn’t work out) and release the music videos with songs by Hololive members. But maybe meme man YAGOO (part-time Cover CEO Motoaki Tanigo) will unleash some kind of anime project.
The visual identity of the VTubers talent agency is based on simple yet bold shapes and bright colors. The logo is composed of lowercase lettering placed on the right from the geometric minimalist emblem and accompanied by a thin gray tagline, which can be erased on some of the versions, or replaced with different colorful wordmarks on others.
The logo is executed in a sky-blue and turquoise color palette, with the layered graphical elements and plain inscription, which looks simple, yet contemporary and friendly.
The bright blue color palette of the Hololive visual identity stands for transparency, loyalty, and professionalism. Usually placed on a white background, the shades of the logo resemble cartoonish clouds and represent the light and fun essence of the brand. Also blue has always been associated with technologies, and this aspect also brilliantly reflects Hololive.
As for the font of the Hololive logotype, it is a bold and modern sans-serif with thick lines, smooth angles, and straight cuts of the bars. The lowercase letters look soft and playful, at the same time evoking a sense of professionalism and confidence, showing the brand as an Expert in its field.
For its icon, the Japanese VTubers agency uses the left element of the official logo — a simple geometric graphical element, which is composed of a layered triangle with slightly rounded angles. The triangle is placed horizontally, with the peak pointing to the right, resembling a “Play” button and showing the direction of the company — tomorrow.
There are four triangular layers — the turquoise blue as the main one, complementing the color of the logotype, the very light sky-blue under it, a medium blue layer as the third one, and the calmest and darkest shade of blue at the bottom, symbolizing the serious basement and principles of the company.