Radio Corporation of America, since its founding in 1919, had significantly changed. It had evolved from a manufacturer of crystal sets and other electrical products with sales of $2 million to a $3 billion corporation delivering advanced technological capabilities in a diversity of fields. By the mid 1960s it offered over 12,000 products and services, many of which did not exist a decade before.
With these changes in mind, RCA undertook a extensive review of its activities and the perceptions of customers and employees. The conclusion was that its corporate image needed to substantially change to better express its ‘diversity and dynamism’.
The previous logo, exemplified by a circled monogram and lightning bolt, dated back to a time when RCA was devoted to wireless communications. This only accounted for only 2% of total volume at the time of the review. Could a logo devised for a wireless company in the 1920s suggest the diverse operations of RCA in the changing environment of the 1960s and beyond? While the famous CA monogram had already undergone several subtle modifications, it was problematic to use in increasingly stratified contexts. By 1964 it had become obvious to the management at RCA that something needed to be done.
An internal Corporate Identification Committee (CIC) was formed. This consisted of three designers from various divisions of the company, two attorneys, and chairman Mort Gaffin, Manager of Corporate Advertising. The committee members would be responsible for not only commissioning a new logo but also delivering a standardised system that would bring greater uniformity to communications and leverage economies of scale.
The complexity and scale of such a programme, and the objectivity needed for its development required outside assistance. In 1966, Robert Sarnoff had moved from the chairmanship of NBC to the presidency of RCA. He was ‘graphically oriented’ having become aware of the importance of this design during his time at NBC. He saw the need for a vastly broader and more integrated approach, so sought the experience of Lippincott & Margulies (L&M) (Coca-cola, Eastern, FMC, Co-op, Amtrak) based on the firm's experience developing communications systems for other leading corporations.
As part of a ‘diagnostic study’, the L&M team held over a hundred interviews with corporate executives and divisional management. The studio delved deep into RCA history and its aspirations, visited RCA plants, offices, and sales outlets, and analysed visual and verbal communications from building signage to brand and divisional names. They studied each and every way the corporation projected itself to its various audiences, from its own employees to the financial community. Results of this analysis were given to the CIC who then presented their findings to Robert Sarnoff and key RCA executives.
The L&M study highlighted a discrepancy between RCA as a pioneer working in diverse technological fields and what it was communicating. RCA could not be described in simple terms so L&M recommended that RCA be defined by the ‘growing spectrum of its activities’.
As response to this new outlook, proper emphasis would be given to the corporate name, deemphasising ‘Radio Corporation of America’ and changing this to RCA Corporation. This would address the unwieldy nature of a long name and the limitations of being associated with just radio and the borders of the United States. The initials RCA had been commonly used and would be more concise and easier to use going forward. This would then be further enhanced through design.