LogoLounge

38

Television was introduced to Australia in 1956, just in time to

cover the Melbourne Olympics. There were three channels at the

time: 2, 7, and 9. After years of competition and many identity

changes, Channel 9 emerged as the ratings winner just prior to

the Sydney-hosted Olympic Games in 2000, and runner-up

Channel 7 de-cided it was time for an identity makeover for the

Games and the new millennium.

The station called in Cato Purnell Partners for help. When the

design firm began working with the client, Channel 7 was using

a red numeral 7 with a circle around it as the main element in its

identity. Trouble was, this was an unremarkable mark that was

identical to ones being used in the U.K. and the U.S.

A secondary element in the identity was a color bar of five colors,

originally added to the identity to signify the advent of color TV.

That was an outdated symbol, though, because all television

stations broadcast in color today.

Nevertheless, the client wanted the bar in the design. “When I

was introduced to the project, the job seemed very straightfor-

ward to them,” recalls principal Ken Cato. “They said, ‘Put [the

number and the bar] together, and what are you going to do with

the 7?’ And I did look at every type book on the planet, looking

for the best-looking 7.”

About a week before the presentation, Cato still hadn’t found a

numeral seven that really stood out. Then he had a eureka

moment.

“I have a habit of making scribbles on pieces of paper—I tore a

strip of paper into the basic proportion of the color bar and told

someone, ‘It needs to be as simple as this.’ Then I folded the strip

Cato Purnell Partners

Channel 7

Corporate Identity Redesign

Australia’s Channel 7 is widely recognized across the country by

this very simple, yet dimensional shape.

“And I did look at every type

book on the planet, looking for

the best-looking 7.”

39

When television was introduced to Australia in 1956, there were

only three channels. Channel 7, the Australian Television Net-

work, was one of them, and this was its logo at the time.

In 1956, a more modern, distinctive mark was developed.

The folded-ribbonlike 7 centered in the circle was also used in

other iterations in the 1950s.

Then, in 1966, this strangely distorted logo was introduced.

Unfortunately, it was very similar to a mark being used in the

U.S., and the network wanted their mark to be unique.