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Three-letter cable channel identifications seem to be all the rage lately. One merely has to channel surf to find plenty of three letter abbreviations for different networks: CNN, TNT, TBS, TLC, TNN, A&E; and the list goes on. Apparently network execs think that their viewers don’t have the mental capacity or intelligence to recall their favorite channels — or perhaps this trend is the result of an instant gratification society in which the proliferation of instant messaging has diminished our ability to read, write and think in complete thoughts and sentences.
The latest example of this “dumbing down” of channel identifications can be seen through The Biography Channel’s new brand. Reduced to “bio” and set in all lowercase letters in a slab serif face, this new identity is a far departure from its former incarnation; one that is crisp, clean, and simply executed. Whereas the old typeface was an elegant serif set within a pill-shaped field, the new characters are more pronounced and easy to read, as well as friendly and personable.
One of my biggest complaints, typographically speaking, is that the square dot of the “i” is clunky and seems out of place—a more appropriate solution would have been to mimic the shape of the circular period after “bio.” And speaking of periods, I will never be able to look at a red dot at the end of a word or sentence the same way again thanks to the Kotex® feminine hygiene commercials that aired a few years back—and, unfortunately, it is the red dot that is supposed to link the old and new identities.
The black and white lozenge shape has disappeared from the identity, which is a major improvement. What exactly was that supposed to be, anyway: a pill? A paper clip? It didn’t help that, until August of last year, Biography was also a documentary series that aired weekly on A&E network (“Biography” started in 1962 on CBS to chronicle the lives of historical figures, was picked up by A&E Network in 1987 with new episodes, and then was finally spun off into the cable channel in 1999). The old Biography Channel logo had to be different from the television series of the same name, because other types of programming, including mysteries such as “Murder, She Wrote” were aired (and who doesn’t love Angela Landsbury?).
Instead of differentiating between the two, the channel and the television program shared the exact same logotype and color scheme. The only difference was that the TV series logo had a red field behind “Bio” and then the rest of the type was reversed out of the background or a black field. The new mark, on the other hand, utilizes gray instead of using all black and white, which subconsciously makes that suggestion that when it comes to history, things are often open to interpretation through the lens of the culture in which we live.
Though not perfect in execution, the new Biography Channel identity is a vast improvement over the old. It pays homage to the original television series brand by once again calling attention to the “bio” in biography (after all, these are not full blown, Benjamin Franklin length documentaries, rather short “bios” on current individuals). It appeals to a target audience who may not be as intellectual as past viewers (those who see things in only black and white, fact or fiction). And even though I hate to see more damage done to the English language by catering to the IM’ing crowd, this is one identity that is short, sweet, and to the point.
Jump to Most Recent Comment
Ty Halasz’s comment is:
I'm wondering what the logic is behind having a square dot for the I but a round dot for the period. Normally these things are the same. Other than that, a logo well done.
On Aug.14.2007 at 06:02 PM
Matthew West’s comment is:
Actually, I think the reasoning behind shorting many of the Television channels to three letter abbreviations isn't because execs think the average American cable watcher doesn't have "the mental capacity or intelligence to recall their favorite channels." I believe it is because most programming guides on digital cable and DVRs, identify channels as three or four letter abbreviations. Take a look at the programming guide. BIO is what comes up next to the channel number. It is for people's quick recall of the bio name which is actually a genius branding idea. I often find myself looking for Headline News and pass right by it due to it's long name and me not having quick recall of their 3 or 4 letter abbreviation. Otherwise, great review. Keep up the good work.
On Aug.14.2007 at 06:39 PM
erica frye’s comment is:
I had an entire post written, but Matthew beat me to it. That's my take on it as well.
Besides, radio and TV have always relied on memorable call letters/nicknames/numbers, so why not cable networks?
On Aug.14.2007 at 06:43 PM
dale harris’s comment is:
despite the fact that they have used both a round dot and a square dot (which annoys the hell out of me, believe me.) this logo is at least a billion times better than the previous one.
also, i agree with matthew, i reckon as an aid to memory the three letter name is great.
On Aug.14.2007 at 07:21 PM
Casey Hrynkow’s comment is:
I also suspect that is the reasoning behind the round dot. Mnemonics — annoying or otherwise — you're probably going to remember it.
On Aug.14.2007 at 08:01 PM
Armin’s comment is:
I actually do think there is a certain sheep-ish attitude about all channels going with three-letter names and it indeed may have more to do with the uitility of the letter count than executive's lack of trust in their viewers. To me the trend is usually more of a "let's sweep the rug under the dirt and hope no one notices", as in The Learning Channel not being about learning, or The Nashville Network not having anything to do with Nashville. It's as if they are saying "Now that we are bigger let's just go with the acronym and in ten days no one will remember what it stood for."
Despite that, this name change makes perfect sense and it makes the channel feel more viewable. The old logo was an atrocity so as a Before/After this is one the best ratios. This mark is simple and effective and it's perfect for TV.
On Aug.14.2007 at 09:15 PM
dale harris’s comment is:
it is interesting to note that the line running through the old logo is also reinforcing the three letter name bio|graphy, they have just made it alot more blatant. ;)
On Aug.14.2007 at 09:21 PM
Kevin’s comment is:
Actually, TNN is now SpikeTV, not a three-letter word anymore.
On Aug.15.2007 at 12:22 AM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
OMG! this logo is kewl.
LOL @ Lansbury joke.
N E 1 know what font 'bio' is?
GTG, TTYL
L.
On Aug.15.2007 at 08:20 AM
L.Vazquez’s comment is:
Kevin,
But, SpikeTV is 3 syllables... coincidence!?
On Aug.15.2007 at 08:22 AM
Corey Buckner’s comment is:
I think the new logo is boring, which tends to be in style. I liked the old "pill" logo, which also as was stated before separated BIO from "graphy". The old logo had character, and the combo of red, black, and white were eye catching. If i had to guess, this logo has a lot to do with displaying it in the bottom right of the screen as just bio. Just a thought, the same way USA network had to simplify their logo for the same reason.
Unfortunately, I subjectively do not connect with this logo at all. It looks too bland and the red dot does nothing for me except to make me think that it is no a subsidiary of About.com. I think it has much less character than its predecessor.
On Aug.15.2007 at 09:36 AM
felix’s comment is:
In todays
media climate,
les is mor.
and I say wel dun.
On Aug.15.2007 at 10:10 AM
stock_illustration’s comment is:
I like it much better. This logo will show up much better when used as the ghosted logo onscreen also.
On Aug.15.2007 at 12:22 PM
Joe Moran’s comment is:
I get Dish TV and The Biography Channel is designated as BIOGR. Five characters. As are CSPAN, OXYGN, BRAVO, ESPN2, etc.
Ditto on the i dot & period. Rockwell (& condensed) have round dots on the "i" but square periods. Was this an inside joke? Just asking.
Bonus points for the shade of red translating well in greyscale.
And it kind of looks like a face now. No?
Way to go bio.
VR/
On Aug.15.2007 at 02:51 PM
Tor Løvskogen’s comment is:
I think 'bio' is more of a natural name than CNN. People tend to use it more than a acronym. "Did you watch the bio on X?" - so it's not as bad as the other three letter names.
On Aug.15.2007 at 03:09 PM
Shane Guymon’s comment is:
I enjoy the simplicity of this new logo.
On Aug.15.2007 at 03:20 PM
drew kora’s comment is:
I think that "BIO" is a term that originated and bained popular use long before cable TV started shortening everything. So to me, comparing "bio" to other three letter shortening and acronym's by cable TV isn't really fair.
That being said, I love the logo. Nice and simple even if the dot and the period mis-match are whacky. The log is nothing spectacular, of course. But it fits the subject matter well.
Am I wrong in saying that not all logos have to be (or even can be) amazing and specatular? Sometimes they just have to say "Bio."
On Aug.15.2007 at 03:23 PM
rynot’s comment is:
overall, i find it a nice change, very accessible. i'm interested to see the logo suite to see if the scale difference between the type is addressed in any iterations. i find the support text to be a bit oddly placed – 'biography' looks off center to the 'bio', looks like it was centered to include the period above.
stacks a bit funny here
rynot’s comment is:
and while typographically maddening, the round vs. square period is a graphically operative – knowingly (i assume) breaking a rule for graphic impact
On Aug.15.2007 at 03:32 PM
akrok’s comment is:
the red dot probably translate to the "on" button.
looks good.
ciao,
akrok
Dale’s comment is:
It's rather odd to claim that three-letter names for TV shows "are all the rage right now."
The three pioneering networks--NBC, CBS, and ABC--established this "trend" 40 or 50 years ago.
On Aug.16.2007 at 12:25 AM
Splashman’s comment is:
Simple is good. The brand is already established; now they're capitalizing on it. Makes sense.
Not thrilled about the red-on-gray, but that's a quibble.
Yes, the square-vs.-round dots are initially a bit strange, but if I were on the creative team I could justify that easily. The two dots serve a very different purposes.
Funny how some identities are immediately perceived as competent and confident, while others are immediately perceived as amateurish and trying too hard. Of the recent entries on this blog, Bio, Qantas and Coke are good examples of the former. There are way too many examples of the latter.
Repeat after me: simple is good.
On Aug.16.2007 at 03:03 AM
MiSc’s comment is:
And why do they all forget about their favicons when the redesign?
anyway, better than before... ; )
On Aug.16.2007 at 05:26 AM
Rob’s comment is:
I wouldn't call it boring at all but a well done, simple execution that works. And you can't ask for much more than that.
On Aug.16.2007 at 02:21 PM
Von Glitschka’s comment is:
The old one always struck me as a pill/capsule so the design was hard to swallow in that respect.
I like the new look, but I would have liked to see at least a conceptual nod by making the dot in the "i" read as a head to play off the whole biography angle.
That said it's far better medicine then the last graphic prescription.
On Aug.16.2007 at 04:41 PM
Wade Armstrong’s comment is:
Also, think of one unique place where this logo will be applied: the "jellybean" in the lower right that most channels show throughout their programming. A 3-letter logotype makes for a much more effective jellybean than does the earlier, more complex logo. The letters will be large and recognizable, and, in this case, the square dot on the i may be easily-recognizable and therefore add value.
On Aug.18.2007 at 12:44 AM
andrew harrison’s comment is:
just out of curiosity, does anyone know when this redesign was unveiled?
I'm in Australia, and the Biography channel is available as an optional cable channel, so it's advertised quite often on the regular package channels.
As far as I can tell, this redesign has been around for a while. They've definitely been using it for a few months. Their watermark on-screen is a red circle with the logotype inside [and during shows it is a semi-transparent circle with recessed logotype]
On Aug.21.2007 at 03:32 AM
Todd’s comment is:
i like the previous logo better. this newer logo was not needed.
On Aug.22.2007 at 12:46 PM
adam’s comment is:
wait, so the biography channel wont be selling pills and vitamins anymore???
On Aug.22.2007 at 05:06 PM
Dan’s comment is:
Are you mad Todd?
You actually preferred the anti-simple pill shape with all the crazy type shit going on?
Dan’s comment is:
Are you mad Todd?
You actually preferred the anti-simple pill shape with all the crazy type shit going on?
Jane ’s comment is:
I didn't even get that the dot of the "i" and the period were different shapes on first glance.
First impression: way more immediate and easier on the eye.
The use of both (square/circle) says something about celebrating the individual.
Sounds corny, but works for me!
Blake’s comment is:
Me like, me like!
On Aug.28.2007 at 08:35 AM
ChrisM70’s comment is:
I think part of this 3 letter identity is much like the channel TLC:
It's to make people forget about what the word really means. Think about it - is TLC really "THE LEARNING CHANNEL"? No. It's house-flippiing and reality shows.
Similarly, the Biography Channel shows old "Murder She Wrote" reruns and other crap - not much of this channel is about Biographies.
Cable channels are starting to understand the fact that naming your channel "The (blank) Channel" only makes it hard for the corporation to change your format and content down the road when your format stops being profitable (see VH1 and MTV).
It's easier to call your channel "Spike", "Ovation" or "Bravo" or something that's open to interpretation. Otherwise, just shorten the name to three meaningless letters.
On Aug.30.2007 at 03:01 PM
BWJ’s comment is:
And speaking of periods, I will never be able to look at a red dot at the end of a word or sentence the same way again thanks to the Kotex® feminine hygiene commercials that aired a few years back—and, unfortunately, it is the red dot that is supposed to link the old and new identities.
My first thought.
Melody’s comment is:
Just a thought, could the reason channels are reducing thier letter length be the way cable and dish's guides work? just mho
On Sep.26.2007 at 05:50 PM
kbl’s comment is:
I also immediately got the unfortunate Kotex® connection, but I'm trying to ignore it. That said, I like the new version much better than the old. Very nice balance with the tag line. I agree that I would have at least liked to see them try to repeat the round shape of the dot over the "i". But it doesn't make me crazy.
Nice job.
On Nov.07.2007 at 04:10 PM
David Carvalho’s comment is:
Lovelly work...
On Dec.26.2007 at 11:33 AM
Mark’s comment is:
nice and simple, I like.
the previous one read like bio-graphy Channel never looked like a whole word to me.
On Dec.28.2007 at 09:12 AM
Armin’s comment is:
In case you are not a regular viewer of the bio channel -- like moi -- here is a nice reel of the networking packaging. Spotted at Motionographer.
On Jan.19.2008 at 08:01 AM
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