Rebranding The Nostalgia: Cartoon Network Logo Rebrand Decoded

Rebranding The Nostalgia: Cartoon Network Logo Rebrand Decoded

For a 90s kid, this can be your nemesis or catharsis. Find out why Cartoon Network decided to rebrand after a decade long.

You ever just casually brush up on your old memory boxes in your mind and reminisced about how good life was when all you had to worry about was your homework and not missing an episode of Ben10?

Between playing with your friends in the evening to running back home before your parents track you in the dirt, your EOD wrap-up was having dinner watching Tom and Jerry or Courage- The Cowardly Dog.

Launched in 1992, Cartoon Network is a name that resides within every millennial's golden childhood timeline.

From Looney Tunes to Powerpuff Girls, we have witnessed an entire generation grow up and face the real world which does not always come with bright colours, animated outlines of expression, the selfless equation of Shaggy-Scooby, life lessons by Granny Webster, and happy endings.

2022 marked 30 years of the channel's existence and with this, speculation of a possible revamp comes into play. It is undeniable that we are walking in an aeon of Brand Identity and Design.

As Muhtar Kent said, "A brand is a promise. A good brand is a promise kept.", successful brands across the globe have been upgrading their branding strategies, especially by refreshing their signature design.

In 2022, the brand industry observed biggest logo rebranding from Aston Martin, M&M's to Sprite.

In entertainment culture, Warner Bros. caught their fans off guard with their logo rebranding as well as Warner Bros. Discovery merging with AT&T, the guesswork is running high on Cartoon Network's rephrasing its brand identity.

The Brand Print of Staying Alive

In a recent conversation with AD Week, Jacob Escobedo, creative director for Adult Swim since 1999 and currently the Senior Vice President for Cartoon Network's design department, unfolded the reason for rebranding.

For a while, CN has been considered to be hibernated; a channel so popular decades ago has lost its charm till the last drop.

Escobedo shared his thoughts on the Cartoon Network's expiration status that 2023 will mark a new chapter in CN's long-running reputation with its new packaging and refreshed content.

As decided by Warner Bros. Discovery to appeal to a wider set of audiences, families, and girls being the most prominent demography, Cartoon Network is set out to enhance its programming flow by providing the finest animation via both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

Let's Address the Elephant in the Room! - The Logo Design

Led by Tricia Melton, the 2022 refreshment of Cartoon Network means taking a trip to upside down with a 360-degree panorama view.

Disintegrated from top to bottom, this new logo takes the original CN logo with black and white boxes or squares and turns it into split screens serving for creative opportunities.

The split-screen also symbolises the duet trend on TikTok.

Routing with a shift from the CMYK colour palette, the new logo is defined to be inclusive of all levels of audiences. With a secondary palette that has Cyan, Magenta, and yellow colours overlapping, the final design has a prismatic effect through the outlining of split squares.

For packaging, Cartoon Network has partnered with BUCK, Emmy-award winner creative agency.

Extras - The Closing Note

On differentiation of the channel's demographic range, Michael Ouwleen, President at Cartoon Network Inc., shared an innate note with Variety, "We said it was for a psychographic, not a demographic. The best animation works on a couple levels and works for a couple of different audiences at once. And I think that’s where Cartoon Network proper is coming back around to."

Usually, these kinds of makeovers create a hubbub within the fanbase who await new updates of a channel that has threaded their upbringing leisure to the world of animation.

Though social media always has mixed reactions, it is up to the loyal audiences of Cartoon Network to give their feedback on this rebranding.

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Creative Gaga
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