Cartoon Network restyling

The network chose to embrace its brand visual heritage of the black and white checkerboard by imbuing it with new meaning, and the artists and producers of BNS were able to bring this idea to life in a fresh, compelling way using dimension, color and movement. All the new design elements began appearing in late May, and the new on-air IDs premiered on the network this week.

“Our brand expansion represents our commitment to delivering a breadth of content that our audience cannot find anywhere else,” said Senior Vice President of Creative Direction, Michael Ouweleen. “The checkerboard is in our DNA and is not only reflected in the subtle redesign of the logo but also provides a through line that connects and helps frame our diverse slate of programming from animation to live-action. The art direction and creative acumen of the Brand New School and their ability to breathe new into the iconic was invaluable and helped us achieve our goal.”
— Press Release

It’s very nice to see Cartoon Network pull back and go back to what made the original logo more successful. There are no magic revelations in the new logo. It’s the old “C” and “N” pulled out of the original, blown up and put side to side. Simple.

And when it comes to the visual pyrotechnics of on-air animation… good luck getting bored by it.
“Because we’d created such a gridded and structured designs for the overall approach, it became imperative that the movement of these pieces felt snappy, fast-paced, and above all, playful and full of life,” said Calvert. “Our animators developed a language that’s rooted in familiar physical interactions, but caricatured and amplified into something incredibly captivating and energetic.”

The new identity is surprisingly basic in its visual elements: CMYK colors, dots, crosses, squares, a grid. Yet the applications are playfully complex and versatile. Giving CN a broad range of possible executions without feeling too repetitive.