SVA Archives

Chermayeff & Geismar Collection. Public Broadcasting System. Box 33, Folder 21. n.d., ca. 1984.

January 25, 2013

More of that PBS guy

So last time we looked at a slide I’d happened upon by chance in the Push Pin slide library, for the font used in the PBS logo by Lubalin Studio. In the end of the post, I briefly mentioned that Chermayeff & Geismar updated the logo in 1984, taking the “P-head” from Lubalin’s logo…

Lubalin Studio’s 1971 logo for PBS. Image from Wikipedia.

C&G flipped him around and multiplied him with additional silhouettes, with the intention of making the institution seem more public. The P-letter everyman became, with some “cosmetic surgery,” everybody:

A booklet representing the PBS logo in a variation of symbols.

Chermayeff & Geismar Collection. Public Broadcasting System. Box 33, Folder 21. n.d., ca. 1984.

In the loose identity suggestions that C&G proposed, they also indicate another point of continuity—along with the guy, they specify the type set in Lubalin Graph DemiBold (replacing the previous Avant-Garde).

A booklet displaying the PBS logo in 6 different colors.

Chermayeff & Geismar Collection. Public Broadcasting System. Box 33, Folder 21. n.d., ca. 1984.

A booklet representing a red PBS logo for "On Public TV", blue for "Public Television", and purple for "On Public TV."

Chermayeff & Geismar Collection. Public Broadcasting System. Box 33, Folder 21. n.d., ca. 1984.

Five blue, recurring PBS logos starting from the left and towards the right of the booklet page.

Chermayeff & Geismar Collection. Public Broadcasting System. Box 33, Folder 21. n.d., ca. 1984.

A photo of a working table with a variety of logos displayed.

The PBS Some other C&G logos

… And a bonus preview of our next display of archival work, here at the SVA Library.