What the … W-I-T-'F' did this PBS station do with its logo? - NewscastStudio

WITF, the PBS subordinate presumption successful Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, has unveiled a rebranding with a caller logo design that aims to propulsion the envelope.

The station’s telephone letters stay successful lowercase successful the logo redesign – which debuted successful October 2022 – but present look to beryllium successful a heavy customized typography that borrows heavy from typefaces specified arsenic Bauhaus, peculiarly with the “t” and “f.”

There’s besides a chiseled wavy “w” with heavy curved elements which necktie into the curves recovered successful the past 2 letters, but with further diagonal strokes not contiguous successful Bauhaus. The acold close of the “w” butts close up against the apical of the “i,” which has a ample circular dot connected top, whose curves astatine slightest play nicely into the country elements successful the remainder of the design. 

For an accompanying icon, the caller logo features a mint greenish signifier that appears to beryllium suggestive of a TV surface (from the 4:3 days, nary less). Or possibly a code bubble. Or possibly a viewfinder oregon framework of film. Or possibly it’s immoderate benignant of awesome meant to suggest the thought of togetherness. It’s hard to accidental for definite which of these (or other) ideas fit, though possibly that’s the thought — purposeful abstractness. 

It’s besides imaginable that the plan is meant to convey portions of a accepted keystone shape, a notation to Pennsylvania’s nickname. 

What’s peculiarly absorbing astir the WITF logo is that the full plan appears to turn from an x-height “w” connected the near to the floating icon that floats supra the letters similar a unreality (maybe that’s a notation to streaming?).

This could possibly beryllium a motion to the thought that WITF’s programming features shows suitable for everyone arsenic they turn up and their interests evolve.

Notice that the apical curved information of the “f” ascends higher than the extremity of the “t” adjacent to it, contempt the information that some crossbars are astatine the aforesaid level.

It’s besides imaginable to construe the “itf” characters arsenic quality figures successful profile, thing that the PBS logo has done for decades, with the “w” possibly meant to suggest the excitement of being a child.

All told, the conception of maturation is undoubtedly expressed, but it besides creates the consciousness of an oddly morphed logo that seems to beryllium stretching immoderate benignant of limit.

The morphing standard and bold, melodramatic typography tin besides link with the brutalist inclination sweeping the plan satellite now, truthful it’s imaginable that’s astatine slightest portion of the inspiration. 

When looking astatine the icon compared to the lettering, determination are references to angles and curved corners successful some — but they’re decidedly much exaggerated successful the letters and could person benefited from consistency successful that sense.

View afloat mentation connected Giphy

WITF sometimes displays the telephone letters wrong a larger mentation of the icon, portion besides utilizing it arsenic an animated constituent and matte to framework imagery.

In summation to the caller logo design, WITF has besides introduced a “Let’s discover” tagline, which describes the ngo of PBS stations beauteous well, but besides doesn’t look to straight necktie successful to immoderate different elements of the caller look. Previously, the tagline was conscionable arsenic generic “Live inspired.”

Back successful 2019, PBS itself redesigned its logo and marque identity.

The network, however, doesn’t necessitate its subordinate stations to usage the caller look, though immoderate person adopted logos that look precise akin — including utilizing its proprietary PBS Sans bespoke font, which WITF is utilizing arsenic a secondary typeface connected its website and tagline. 

Where PBS Sans is elegant and simple, WITF’s caller logotype is bold and loud. 

PBS did specify a teal shadiness arsenic a imaginable secondary color, but the 1 WITF is utilizing is importantly brighter. 

All that aside, the caller WITF logo does, astatine least, effort to beryllium unsocial and basal out. It besides appears to ain its uniqueness unapologetically and clasp the look. 

WITF’s erstwhile logo appeared to beryllium acceptable successful a casual typeface on the lines of Calibri oregon Officina Sans.

Classic WITF logos took vantage of the beardown horizontal enactment that was formed erstwhile the tops of the “T” and “F” were connected to the “W-I” to make a azygous signifier that attempted to beryllium 4 letters but sometimes ended up looking similar a alternatively hard to work Roman numeral of immoderate kind.

It besides ended up feeling incredibly top-heavy. 

The circle, incidentally, has been a communal constituent successful the station’s look implicit the years. It appeared arsenic a reddish glowing orb and arsenic switching to two, much oval-shaped and overlapping ones.

The redesigned logo inactive features a salient circular element, though it’s nary longer distinguished by making it a chiseled color.