January 9, 2026
Black Ops – Series 2 on BBC ONE & BBC iPlayer
Graphic Design for Television: My Work on Black Ops – Series 2
Establishing the Graphic World
My work on Black Ops Series 2 began during pre-production, which ran from 15 January to 1 February 2025. From the outset, it was clear that graphics would play a central role in the visual language of the series. This wasn’t a project where screens existed as background texture. They were narrative tools, and they needed to feel credible, intentional, and fully integrated into the world of the story.
From Concept to Screen
The series was overseen by Production Designer Paul Rowan, whose approach set a strong foundation early on. During pre-production, I worked closely with the art department to design a complete graphic system that could support everything from day-to-day office screens to high-pressure intelligence environments. The goal was consistency, clarity, and realism, while still allowing space for drama and performance.
Alongside this, I worked very closely with Director of Photography Scott Coulter. Together, we defined colour palettes and contrast levels for the screen graphics, ensuring they sat naturally within the overall cinematography. This collaboration was essential to make sure that every interface read clearly on camera while still feeling grounded in the photographic language of the show.
Production Base and Locations
The production base for the series was Space Studios Manchester, with filming taking place across February and March 2025. Locations included Manchester, Liverpool, Wythenshawe, and numerous other sites around the Greater Manchester area. This mix of studio and real-world locations added an extra layer of authenticity, and the graphics had to hold up equally well in controlled studio conditions and more unpredictable location environments.
Next Gen Interactive Apps
One of the most demanding and high-profile sequences involved a facial recognition suite that plays a crucial role in the story. I have designed and built the entire system from the ground up, strictly following the script while ensuring the visuals felt technically plausible and dramatically clear. The sequence relied heavily on the graphics to communicate narrative information, making precision and timing critical.
Quiet Design, Real Impact
At its best, graphic design for television disappears into the story. When the audience believes what they are seeing without questioning it, the work has done its job. Black Ops Series 2 was a project where design, technology, and storytelling were tightly interwoven, and it stands as a strong example of my approach to screen graphics at the highest production level.
Black Ops – Series 2 is now on BBC ONE and streaming on BBC iPlayer.