SLOW HORSES — AppleTV (2024)
Graphic Designer — Dailies
Invisible graphics supporting character and narrative in contemporary drama
The Project
Slow Horses is a contemporary espionage drama for Apple TV+, known for its grounded realism and understated visual storytelling. I joined the production as a Graphic Designer (Dailies), supporting the established graphics department on a returning series where consistency, restraint and narrative sensitivity were essential.
IMDb Page
The Character of Jackson Lamb
Jackson Lamb is a senior intelligence officer relegated to Slough House, where disgraced MI5 agents are sent after career-ending mistakes. Brilliant but deeply unpleasant, he is deliberately unkempt, abrasive and self-destructive. The accumulation of junk food packaging and alcohol in his home reinforces his disregard for authority, personal health and social norms, while contrasting sharply with his sharp intelligence.
Reinforcing Narrative Through Everyday Detail
This graphic was designed to feel entirely unremarkable — a familiar, everyday vodka bottle that could exist in any kitchen cupboard. Rather than pursuing a distinctive graphic style, the focus was on realism and recognisability, allowing the prop to sit naturally within the environment and support character without drawing attention.
Designed to be copyright-free while closely reflecting real-world packaging, the label reinforces Jackson Lamb’s habits and mental state without competing with performance or narrative.
Photo by AppleTV
All designs were copyright-free, while closely mimicking real-world packaging. No real brands were used in contexts involving misuse, over-consumption or sensitive behaviour. Particular care was taken where alcohol and self-destructive habits were part of the narrative.