The following is a guest article from Logo Histories, a weekly Substack newsletter from the team behind BP&O. Each week, Logo Histories shares the concepts and considerations behind logos and corporate identity design of the past. Read about the logos for NBC, ICI and Spar, Saul Bass’ brand identities for Warner Communications, Lawry’s and Minolta Discover these and a 140+ more here.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Société Radio-Canada) is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television with its English-language and French-language service units known as CBC and Radio-Canada.

In 1958 CBC’s television signal was extended from coast to coast. Colour television broadcasts commenced in mid-1966 with a full-colour service beginning in 1974. To accompany the introduction of colour broadcasts, ≈ designed the ‘butterfly’, a logo to mark the network’s transition from black-and-white to colour television, in a similar manner as NBC’s peacock logo. It was used at the beginning of programs that were broadcast in colour and was used until all CBC television programs had made the switch to colour.

The 1970s would bring with it significant change, moving to continual colour broadcasting and the drawing up of plans to become the first broadcaster in the world to use an orbiting satellite to deliver its television service, linking Canada from east to west to north and south.

To better convey its ambitions, in 1974 the broadcaster sought out a new logo and corporate identity, and chose the format of a competition.

It was specified that the new logo should act as a visual representation of all aspects of broadcasting; function as a strong visual target, attracting and holding the attention of viewers; be capable of being animated for on-air use; and easily adaptable to all required forms of reproduction techniques, from screen printing and embossing, to single and full colour use. The competition would be won by legendary Canadian designer Burton Kramer.

The logo devised by Kramer had, at its heart, the initial ‘C’ for Canada, which then expands in every direction from east to west to north and south. The ‘C’ represented the core of the ‘broadcasting source’, ‘emphasising that of national service, owned by the people of Canada and representing the primary element in the Canadian broadcasting system.

The overall shape was a global, conveying the corporation’s ‘international responsibilities’ in addition to its national role and the global satellite network it would go on to establish. The symbol was then visually weighted at the centre, lightening outwards to the perimeter giving it a radiating and almost hypnotic quality.

In its full colour version the symbol was red at the centre and moves outward in radiations of dark orange, light orange and yellow. The impression of colour and shape would be known internally as ‘the gem’ but later, and more colloquially as ‘The Exploding Pizza’.

Whenever possible the full colour version would be used on a dark blue background, or placed within a circle of blue. The logo could appear (as it has on the new corporate stationery) in red on a white ground. It could also be used in white on a coloured ground: in black on white or white on black. The logo was then paired with Helvetica Medium, which was used to identify the devisions, in both English and French.

The main on-air identification featured the logo ‘kaleidoscopically morphing’ into its form while radiating outward from the centre of the screen on a blue background, satisfying the need to hold the attention of viewers.

In 1986, ahead of its 50th anniversary, Radio-Canada management sought to modify the logo and a set of objectives were defined.

• Rejuvenate and simplify the Radio-Canada emblem and make its use stronger and more standardised.
• Make more rigorous the process of creating and maintaining, for Radio-Canada, “a clear, constant, contemporary identity of Canadian society, both at home and abroad”.
• Keep the financial costs required for updating and renewing the terms of application of the emblem of Radio-Canada.

Hubert Tison (the designer of the butterfly) and Robert Innes were given the responsibility of working on the modifications. They simplified the structure of the logo and imposed a single colour, blue, which was felt to be more associated with a company. They also developed a set of standards to ensure better consistency throughout all of Radio-Canada’s communications.

The logo was refined a second time in 1992, with the intention of improving its resolution scaled down. In the centre, the letter C gave way to a full circle. The logo was reduced to 13 pieces, down from the 28. The red returned as a symbol of ‘liveliness, dynamism and action’. This remains in use today.

Kramer criticised the new design’s cultural separation saying that “they have this thing, which I don’t see as Canada’s broadcasting symbol. I could see it as symbol for something else, but there is nothing specific that references Canada.”

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