Once, Twice, Three Times a Logo

By: Sommer

Everyday in these hallowed halls, I walk past our logo, encompassed in our fabulous new graphics look. The colors and textures of the logo you see that accompany Food Network shows on TV, or on print campaigns (like billboards or on taxi's) are all created by my department - Creative Services. Toot, toot.

Then one day it hit me like a crème pie filled with hand whipped lemon meringue, what’s up with the logo?! Where has it been over the years, and why did it go there?

You might have Wikipedia, but I have SVP/Marketing, Creative & Brand Strategy, Michael Smith, who gave me the history of our network logo. Here’s the microwaved version.

Food Network, or to be more accurate at the time, TV Food Network, launched at 6:00am, on November 23, 1993. The first show was called Food and Fitness. Was that a tumbleweed that just rolled by? Ha! Well, okay, then maybe you recognize the 6:30a show, How to Boil Water, which ended up becoming one of the network’s early standouts. And if you were up that early in the morning on that day, then you should remember this logo accompanying all of those great flagship shows.

Ah, summer 1997, when a little show called Emeril Live was changing the landscape of television and the definition of star power, the talk at Food Network was also of change. It was felt that the playful, almost cartoonish feel of the original logo no longer correctly reflected the direction that the network was headed in, or the audience that was growing with it. It was decided that the brand needed to ooze a kind of stylish elegance. So the branding company of Pittard Sullivan was brought in to come class up the stamp of the network. And literally overnight, as what is referred to as a light switch (because there is no transition overtime in the on-air look, a date is chosen, and on that day the entire on-air look is changed) it was in with this new…logo:

By the end of 2002, 30 Minute Meals was dominating the airwaves and reflecting the new family structure in society. And that reflection was not only diverse, but versatile. The discussion revolved around making the logo into a disk shape, which would give the brand a versatile, succinct and memorable look, allowing it to expand its reach. The single, or double circle look could be used from everything from Foodnetwork.com, to partnerships. And of course it was also important that the logo had some room to move…spin, tilt, and roll. Keeping it in the family, the Creative Services On-air and Print Design Directors at the time, JC Cancedda and Stos DeVaris, worked together to come up with something all encompassing (pun intended). And January 1st, 2003 (another light switch situation) the logo that you still see (and love) today was introduced to the world.

We love our logo, but I love hearing your thoughts, so which one is your fav?

Happy Monday,

Sommer, Creative Services

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