NBC Logo Evolution from 1926 to Present

[Philip Gipson]

A snippet from the network's Wikipedia page:

The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has used several corporate logos over the course of its history. The first logo was used in 1926 when the radio network began operations. Its most famous logo, the peacock, was first used in 1956 to highlight the network's color programming. While it has been in use in one form or another for all but four years since then, the peacock did not become part of NBC's main logo until 1979 and did not become the network's sole logo until 1986. The logos were designed by employees of NBC, rather than by an advertising agency. The first logo incorporated design from then-parent company RCA, and was a unique logo not related to the NBC radio network.

Recent logos have been themed for different holidays during the year (such as Halloween, Valentine's Day, and New Year's Day), in observance of its upcoming or ongoing broadcasts of the Olympics, as well as an American flag-themed logo in the wake of the events of al-Qaeda's terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001. The logo has been adapted for color television and high definition as technology has advanced. As NBC acquired other television channels, the logo branding was adopted to other networks including: CNBC, NBCSN, MSNBC, Golf Channel, and NBC Sports Regional Networks. The logo was also incorporated into the corporate emblem of the network's parent company, NBCUniversal, then became a part of a redesigned Comcast mark at the end of 2012 after it was acquired by the latter a year before.

 

This is the network's first logo when it originally started out in radio. The logo, which lasted from 1926 to 1937, consists of a microphone with lightning bolts against a drawing of the United States of America, and the above arching letters "NBC."

 

This next logo debuted in '31 and lasted until '42. For six years it was used in tandem with the previous logo. It consists of a square with a diagonal "NBC" text with lightning bolts in the middle of the "B." It was adapted two years later for NBC's newly-created television division.

 

Here's the network's next logo, their first televised one. It's a microphone with "NBC" in the middle, lightning bolts on the left, and waves on the right (the latter two acknowledging the network's radio and TV sides). Although it lasted in TV terms from '43 to '46, it was used in print form until sometime in '53.

 

This simple wording was only used at the end of NBC programs between '46 and '52. The iconic NBC chime melody, stemming all the way back to 1927 with originally seven notes before being downgraded in 1929/30 to three notes, made their televised debut with this logo.

 

This next logo presented here was used only in the 1952-53 season but would continue to be used in Kinescopes all the way up to '66.

 

Here's the stylized xylophone-and-mallet logo which symbolized the NBC chimes. It ran from December 1953 to 1959.

 

This very peacock logo that John J. Graham and Herb Lubalin of Sudler & Hennessey designed on May 22, 1956 would become one of NBC's most familiar logos. It lasted until at least '75.

 

 

John J. Graham designed this next logo, dubbed the "NBC Snake," in September 1959 to be used in tandem with the above logo. This one also had lasted until '75.

 

Lippincott & Margulies designed this abstract red-and-blue "N" logo for NBC in October 1975 for press releases. The logo began official use on New Year's Day '76 and became subject to controversy. Nebraska Public Media, which used a similar-looking all-red "N" designed by Bill Korbus at the time, sued NBC for trademark infringement in February '76. When an out-of-court settlement was soon reached between both networks, NBC was allowed to keep this logo, which lasted until '79.

 

Two members of Lippincott & Margulies, Terry Glazer and Vasken Kalayjian, were responsible for bringing back NBC's peacock logo and merging it with the network's abstract "N" on  May 14, 1979, calling this particular design the "Proud N." The peacock in the middle of the logo uses only six colors for its eleven feathers, unlike the 1956-75 peacock, whose feathers uses eleven different colors. This logo lasted all the way up to of spring of '86.

 

This is the logo that NBC's viewers would become familiar with in the years to come. It was actually created in 1980 by Steff Geissbuhler of Chermayeff & Geismar and went unused, as NBC needed time to find its groove. Its design is that of a right-facing peacock with six colored feathers, plus Futura-esque "NBC" wording below. It was used selectively for onscreen use beginning on August 26, 1985, but by May 12, 1986, it became NBC's official logo during the end of their NBC: 60th Anniversary Celebration special. Although this version of the current peacock logo lasted until 2011, other versions of it would follow suit.

 

What you're seeing before you next is the gradient version of the current peacock logo that debuted on September 14, 2009 and lasted until 2011. It was used during NBC's "More Colorful" campaign.

 

From 2011 to 2013, NBC had used a glossy three-dimensional take on their current peacock logo for promotional and identificational use.

 

When 2013 came around, designer Brett Morris slightly tweaked NBC's 1985/86 peacock logo so that it had a slightly larger beak, slightly thinner feathers, and an all-around glossier look. The NBC wording below the peacock is in Sweet Sans Pro. This overall logo lasted until 2022.

 

Finally, we have the current version of the peacock, which was created on November 21, 2022 for promos, revealed on social media on December 1 that year, and officially on the 7th that month. It was Sibling Rivalry Studio and Loyalkaspar who had a hand in creating this logo, with the peacock being slightly redesigned to have its white outline removed, its beak more prominent, and its feathers more balanced and matching the colors of streaming service Peacock. The NBC typeface below is in NBC Tinker Pro.

 

NBC has had so many logos over the years, but its peacock logo remains incredibly memorable. It's doubtful that the network will ever consider getting rid of the peacock altogether for something new.

[CEDAvsFan]

Very awesome history of that NBC logo!

[Philip Gipson]

20 hours ago, CEDAvsFan said:

Very awesome history of that NBC logo!

Thanks, man. It was kind of daunting, but the work paid off.