CBS this week has begun updating its brand identity, with new animated versions of the iconic 'eye’ logo appearing on air.
The new logo will be used to identify CBS programs and platforms, including CBS Television Studios, which has been renamed CBS Studios. CBS is part of ViacomCBS.
New logos will be used by CBS News leading up to the 2020 election and CBS Sports this football season, when it will be broadcasting the Super Bowl.
Content on CBS and CBS owned platforms will be branded CBS Original, or CBS News or CBS Presents leading up to the Super Bowl, which CBS will broadcast this year.
The eye logo is also being animated, accompanied by a voiceover saying “This is CBS” in a way that had been done for decades on radio and TV broadcasts starting nearly 100 years ago.“
An animated “This is CBS” will appear at the top of each hour in primetime with a new five-note tune. A unified graphics package will be used by all of the company’s divisions and on its social media handles.
CBS Television Stations and CBS Television Distribution are also putting together branding packages using the new logo.
“CBS has long been one of the most unifying brands in media, bringing people together from all walks of life. Vibrant, trusted, inviting, inclusive – a connector with heart. We needed to make that clearer and more consistent at every consumer touchpoint,” said Mike Benson, president and chief marketing officer at CBS.. “We are defining every aspect of the CBS brand to make it more meaningful for existing and new consumers, regardless of where they encounter the brand.”
The CBS Eye logo made its TV debut on Oct. 20, 1951. It was designed by creative director Bill Golden, inspired by hex symbols drawn on Shaker barns to ward off evil spirits. He worked with graphic artist Kurt Heikh to create the logo.
CBS worked with agency Gretel on the new branding package.
