Captive Audience is a Hulu Original true-crime documentary series directed by Jessica Dimmock. The story delves deep into the lives of Steven Stayner and his brother Cary, unraveling the twisted tale of two brothers and their tragic, very divergent paths. 

Decimal created the visual identity and the motion graphics for this three part series first released in April of 2022.

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One of the initial design challenges we had was to provide a distinct identity to each episode while keeping the same overall look and feel. Our approach was to select three distinct typographies and colors to echo the different decades that the three episodes take place in.

Absence was the core concept behind the featured graphics. Inspired by the abduction of seven-year-old Steven — and the multiple murders his brother Cary would later commit — we wanted to capture the great feeling of loss that drives the story. We created illustrated collages to connect the wildly different elements of the story, highlighting missing pieces while bringing lo-fi nostalgia to this documentary that begins in the 1970s and winds its way to the present day.