PBS in 1971
In 1971 PBS had a problem. Despite having over 200 TV stations across the United States viewers thought of these as being local rather than part of a national broadcasting network. As a non-commercial and publicly funded organisation, developing a sense of scale and authority would be essential in positioning itself against those that were commercially funded as it sought to grow further.
To develop a more ‘national image’ the broadcaster worked with renowned American designer Herb Lubalin (ASICS) to create a new logo. This would replace the basic wordmark, set in an uppercase sans serif, and employing three colours that was used at launch in 1970. Lubalin explored a number of options.
Key Takeaways
A national image for local stations
In 1971 viewers saw PBS’s 200-plus stations as local rather than a national network, so the broadcaster commissioned Herb Lubalin to create a new logo.
Lubalin’s ‘public means people’
After concepts using stars, stripes, an eagle and arrows, Lubalin turned the ‘P’ into a stylised face, creating the first nationally recognised PBS logo.
Chermayeff & Geismar’s 1984 update
The 1984 redesign repeated the profile face three times, replacing one figure with many and creating a flexible symbol still used today.
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Continue reading to discover Herb Lubalin’s rejected concepts for PBS and how Chermayeff & Geismar turned the logo into a symbol →
