Hail, Kabletown!

February 1, 2011 8:47 AM

On the heels of the Comcast/NBC merger, NBCUniversal have unveiled their new logo. Astute viewers will note that there's something missing from it.
posted by schmod (71 comments total)

The first wisecrack that came to my mind was "NBC UniPurple."
posted by phaedon at 8:51 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I am prepared to hate on this.
posted by mazola at 8:53 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's not the peacock being gone that offends me (as Brand New notes, the peacock will still be the network's logo), it's the purple and the odd serifs on the font. There was something sleek and pleasant about the old logo.

Is it me, or does the iVillage logo look like the Chick-Fil-A logo?
posted by moviehawk at 8:53 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

Insert Comic Sans joke here.

Better than the Gap's logo attempt, but managed to be more boring than Comedy Central's, much like their programming, ba-zing!
posted by Mister Fabulous at 8:54 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yes, the important thing about enormous (and enormously powerful) media conglomerates is their logo.
posted by DU at 8:54 AM on February 1, 2011 [8 favorites]

Aww. Poor peacock. On the rare occasions that I would watch NBC clips (mainly SNL shorts), I was amused by seeing the peacock Flash loading indicator.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:54 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The thing that is gone appears to be the space between "NBC" and "Universal." We computer geeks should have never told marketing about camel case.
posted by whir at 8:55 AM on February 1, 2011 [9 favorites]

When I first saw it, I thought "Remove the serifs and it's just a few tilts short of Comic Sans."
posted by thorny at 8:56 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Well, purple is the color of royalty.
posted by rageagainsttherobots at 8:56 AM on February 1, 2011

The NBC TV network still has the peacock. It's just gone from the logo of the parent massive corporatist media conglomerate behemoth.
posted by mr_roboto at 8:56 AM on February 1, 2011 [5 favorites]

This is not so much a new logo. It's just their name in a new typeface.
posted by rocket88 at 8:58 AM on February 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Astute viewers will note that there's something missing from it.

The serif on the lower half of the C! (Do I win a prize?)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:58 AM on February 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Font-nerd knife fight in 3 ... 2 ...
posted by jbickers at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2011

What no boot stomping on a human face for all eternity? I am disappoint.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2011

Paul Rand is truly dead. Guess we have to wait 20 years for this "name in a goofy font" trend to end.
posted by Nelson at 8:59 AM on February 1, 2011

The most important thing to remember is that this is not a brand identity but a corporate identity. Meaning that it doesn’t need to have that sex appeal that attracts millions of viewers each night but one that looks like it will take no shit when printed on a business card and handed out by people with power suites more expensive than the computer you are reading this on.

There are still plenty of "peacocks" at NBC.
posted by stbalbach at 9:01 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Paul Rand is truly dead.

GOOGLE HIM
posted by DU at 9:02 AM on February 1, 2011 [12 favorites]

Is that fucking Copperplate?
posted by Artw at 9:04 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

Can't believe they finally flipped the bird.
posted by mooselini at 9:04 AM on February 1, 2011

I thought NBC was merging with Cabletown? Blerg!
posted by Hoenikker at 9:05 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

I try not to knee-jerk hate on things just because they are different, but wow, I just hate everything about that.

Everything.
posted by quin at 9:05 AM on February 1, 2011 [3 favorites]

Pronounced "Enbee-Cuniversal."
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:07 AM on February 1, 2011 [8 favorites]

Last Comic Sans-ing
posted by Rock Steady at 9:08 AM on February 1, 2011

I am not even a font person, and I think that is so very horrible.

Comcast ruins everything.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:10 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

But what about all of Kenneth's peacock accessories?
posted by djduckie at 9:11 AM on February 1, 2011

I don't know why they didn't just go for "NBCU." That's what it's going to be next anyway.
posted by Eideteker at 9:13 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

EVERYTHING MUST BE ACRONYMS/INITIALISMS!
posted by Eideteker at 9:13 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

It looks to me like they got the font from an old Jack Kirby issue of Fantastic Four.
posted by Challahtronix at 9:20 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

When's dinner?
posted by JoeXIII007 at 9:20 AM on February 1, 2011

Man. All those sharp edges. And the cap N...it's like a throwing star. It's a pretty antagonistic type design.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:21 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

It will get better.
posted by I love you more when I eat paint chips at 9:29 AM on February 1, 2011

Actually, although I didn't like the Comedy Central logo at first, I really like how they've used it. It was a good change.
posted by schmod at 9:30 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

A familiar sight to TV viewers, the old NBC Peacock was redesigned and unveiled by NBC this week. Aside from a little streamlining, the major change was in cutting off the peacock's legs. ... However, our inside sources tell us that the legs weren't all that was removed - since the bird is now known as the NBC Capon.

Plus ça change, and all that.
posted by gimonca at 9:31 AM on February 1, 2011

I don't know why they didn't just go for "NBCU." That's what it's going to be next anyway.

North British Columbia University. Home of the Fightin' Peacocks.
posted by Rock Steady at 9:32 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

That's not a logo, it's a name in a font.

It reminds me of my own employer's (Bureau of Reclamation) efforts a few years back. The Powers That Be determined our agency needed better "brand identity" and after a year of meetings and countless logo design attempts the final version was inveiled: The word RECLAMATION in all caps, Times New Roman. No really, here's the website.
posted by The Deej at 9:35 AM on February 1, 2011 [10 favorites]

I'm black NBC! Very proud. Like peacocks, right Janet?
posted by electroboy at 9:35 AM on February 1, 2011 [4 favorites]

Their logo is as bright and refreshing as their programming!
posted by Xoebe at 9:37 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

It sort of echoes their old NBC radio font and has a 1930s-with-a-modern-twist feel to it. It's not bad. It seems to look better the smaller it is.
posted by starman at 9:38 AM on February 1, 2011

At first I thought it looked awful, but the Brand New analysis changed my mind. The typeface is actually quite nice: I like the ampersand a lot. The combination of particular letters in NBCUniversal looks jarring, but that's exactly what is wanted: when the corporation name appears in a corporate memo or press release, it should jump off of the page.
posted by painquale at 9:42 AM on February 1, 2011

Is that fucking Copperplate?

The widespread Copperplate hate baffles me.
posted by davebush at 9:42 AM on February 1, 2011

What does Katy Perry have to say about this?
posted by Muddler at 9:54 AM on February 1, 2011

I don't want to hate it, but I must. It's an ugly name rendered in an ugly font.
posted by blue_beetle at 9:58 AM on February 1, 2011

The widespread Copperplate hate baffles me.

It's a cliché.
posted by dhartung at 10:01 AM on February 1, 2011

It seems to look better the smaller it is.

I propose we follow that thought to its logical conclusion...

NEW NBC LOGO:
posted by Mister_A at 10:03 AM on February 1, 2011 [2 favorites]

I can't help but agree with the argument that says if the Universal Globe isn't in the main corporate logo, the peacock shouldn't be either. Having said that, I'm a purple person and this logo, both typeface and color, leaves me meh.
posted by immlass at 10:06 AM on February 1, 2011

Can't believe they finally flipped the bird.

No, the Brown Thrasher is still the official Georgia state bird.
posted by TedW at 10:09 AM on February 1, 2011

It's a cliché.

The hate or the font?
posted by davebush at 10:11 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The widespread Copperplate hate baffles me.

Didn't it appear around the time Windows 95 came out? I recall it was overused for a short time, but never really endured like Comic Sans.
posted by crapmatic at 10:12 AM on February 1, 2011

I stay out of font-nerd fights because I really can't argue too many fine points.

I will say that Brand New lost all credibility with me when they said nobody watches NBC "except when Parks & Recreations" (sic) is on. I can take Amy Poehler for about 2 minutes.

The whole logo looks sharp enough to cut, but the purple makes it dull, dull, dull.
posted by beelzbubba at 10:13 AM on February 1, 2011

When you dump a logo that is so recognizable, what you are saying is "I don't want you to remember my history."

Why is NBC afraid of its own history?

when the corporation name appears in a corporate memo or press release, it should jump off of the page.

It should stand off on the page, not jump out and punch you in a nose. An ugly logo tells people that you don't want to deal with them, or if you have to, it would be unpleasant.
posted by eriko at 10:13 AM on February 1, 2011

I can take Amy Poehler for about 2 minutes.

Me, too.

Why is NBC afraid of its own history?

Especially when, in the context of broadcasting, they have a fascinating history.
posted by grubi at 10:17 AM on February 1, 2011

Eh, they're still a division of the Sheinhardt Wig Company.

Gotta love a Sheinhardt.
posted by mattbucher at 10:47 AM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'm trying to get my hate on, but I can't, due to the sheer awesomeness of the "v" which wouldn't look out of place on a Jack Kirby era superhero's chest.

I mean, look at it and try not to imagine sound effects*.

*suggested obvious snark sound effects for NBC include but are not limited to: "Suck!" "Cut!" "Inaction!" "Fourth!" and the woefully underused: "Leno!"
posted by 1f2frfbf at 10:50 AM on February 1, 2011

I think it's pretty ugly. Is it so hard to pick one type of font? Either serif or sans-serif; mixing them up looks amateurish. The capital N is just goofy and, to my eye, the lowercase e is a touch heavy. If I had designed it, I wouldn't admit to it.
posted by Benny Andajetz at 10:51 AM on February 1, 2011

The widespread Copperplate hate baffles me.

It's a cliché.

No, it's an ugly cliche.
posted by thsmchnekllsfascists at 11:38 AM on February 1, 2011

Why is NBC afraid of its own history?

NBCUniversal =/= NBC.

It's a megacorporate masthead, not a logo for selling TV shows, films, movie tickets, rollercoaster rides, or any of the other products the businesses they own sell.
posted by straight at 11:41 AM on February 1, 2011

Peacock burgers on the menu in the cafeteria?
posted by Cranberry at 11:52 AM on February 1, 2011

I think the weirdest part about the new logo is how much it resembles the SyFy logo. It seems like a poor idea to associate your parent company with one of your lesser-respected brands.
posted by JauntyFedora at 12:49 PM on February 1, 2011

A familiar sight to TV viewers, the old NBC Peacock was redesigned and unveiled by NBC this week. Aside from a little streamlining, the major change was in cutting off the peacock's legs. ... However, our inside sources tell us that the legs weren't all that was removed - since the bird is now known as the NBC Capon.

This really joke amazes me, because I can't imagine that capon is common enough for people to get it.

Maybe it was in the seventies?
posted by winna at 12:49 PM on February 1, 2011

Man, I was all set to make the obligatory Kabletown joke, but nooooo.... You had to steal that from me in the FPP!
posted by brundlefly at 12:51 PM on February 1, 2011

I can't not read it as NBCU niversal. And in yet another entry in the set of things-I-never-imagined-I-had-an-opinion-on-before-now, even for an acronym NBCU is a particularly ugly sequence of letters. It sounds like an unsuccessfully stifled sneeze.
posted by chortly at 1:23 PM on February 1, 2011

I hate the new logotype. I know purple is the the orange that was the new green that was the new blue or however it works. There was a gold/yellow in there somewhere.

I liked the old NCB Universal logo except that circle. But generally didn't mind it.

As long as they don't make the Universal HD all purply and copperplaty and take up 30% of the screen, I'll couldn't give two shits about them and their logo.
posted by birdherder at 2:13 PM on February 1, 2011

Paul Rand is truly dead.

Paul, the Good Rand, designed the ABC logo, which is still in use today (albeit with some trendy lens flare effects). Of course, it's not the logo of the Parent Company, which is a "stylized version of the founder’s signature", with or without mouse, depending on which division. (They also use the 'Cinderella's Castle' for their motion picture division, but not for the theme parks where the structure actually exists, what's with that?)

And CBS still has the unblinking eye, although they change the font of the letters every few years. And it's a part of the corporate logo again, ever since the Viacom un-merger.

If you want an example of bad use of a 'legacy' logo: 20th Century Fox. Although perfect for a parent company dedicated to preventing the world from entering the 21st Century.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:51 PM on February 1, 2011

Astute viewers will note that there's something missing from it.

Quality?
posted by Sys Rq at 4:26 PM on February 1, 2011

Comcast Universal NBC Telecommunications

Heheheh..."peacock"
posted by Sys Rq at 4:39 PM on February 1, 2011 [1 favorite]

The first thing I thought when I saw the new logo was, "haven't they been using this logo for years now? I swear I've seen it at the end of NBC shows before."

I guess that's a success, maybe?
posted by chrominance at 4:56 PM on February 1, 2011

"stylized version of the founder’s signature"

But why did he sign his name "Disnep"?
posted by Rock Steady at 6:51 PM on February 1, 2011

Lots of companies have moved away form having a logo to just their name in a field of colour. My first thought was "Gap much?"
posted by arcticseal at 9:03 PM on February 1, 2011

This really joke amazes me, because I can't imagine that capon is common enough for people to get it.

I didn't know the word "capon" before hearing that joke, but I laughed because it's pretty obvious from the context what it must mean.
posted by straight at 11:48 PM on February 1, 2011

I stand for minimalist logos kinda like in that MetaFilter post from not long ago.
So yes, you don't need a peacock. Just make it as simple as possible. It's kinda cool that way.
posted by antgly at 12:02 AM on February 2, 2011

I find that font both ugly and boring. And why even make a logo for one random node in a hierarchy, below Comcast and above NBC and other channels?
posted by delmoi at 3:17 AM on February 2, 2011