The Time Warner Cable company has undergone many changes in a relatively short time span. A 1972 merger between Time Inc. and Warner Communication created the Time Warner company, which managed cable television until 2009. At this point, Time Warner Cable was created as an independent company for the Time Warner cable television department. In 2015, Time Warner Cable was purchased by Charter and re-branded as Spectrum.
Our article will track how all of these corporate changes have altered the Time Warner Cable logo. Keep reading to find out how the iconic logo has changed over the years.
Time Warner Cable Logo Design Elements
Time Warner Cable’s current logo contains the name of their new brand. It says “Spectrum” in grey letters on a white or transparent background. The S is capitalized, and the rest of the letters are lowercase. Time Warner Cable uses a nicely rounded, sans-serif font with gently curved edges. This font is called Harabara Mais, and it is designed by Andre Harabara.
To the right of the Spectrum brand name is a small, solid blue triangle. This triangle is shaped so that one edge is perfectly parallel to the M, and it points to the left. The clever design of this triangle ensures that its sloped sides follow the slant of the M that it is next to.
Changes and Evolution
1. Shape
Back before Time and Warner merged, the cable company’s logo was a rounded square with a W inside and the phrase “Warner Cable” below. This changed in 1990 to the iconic eye logo. It featured a swirling spiral wrapped inside of a football shape that was supposed to represent an eye and an ear.
Originally, the eye logo had the words “Time Warner” on one line, and then “Cable” was written beneath “Time Warner.” This was later changed in 2010, to put each word on its own, separate line. The compact shape and strong visual impact of the eye made this the most iconic Time Warner logo.
2. Color
Time Warner Cable’s first logo was simply black and white. They decided to add a little color by putting the word “Time Warner” in grey, and putting the eye image in a navy blue. When the logo was changed in 2010, each design element was a bright aqua color. This cheerful color was used in an attempt to make the brand seem more cheerful and youthful.
3. Font
The original font for Time Warner was an all-capital Roman font with very slight serifs. When the company decided to modernize the logo in 2010, they made most of the letters lowercase. Instead of the classic Roman font, they switched to a curved, sans-serif font with round letters.
Influences/Inspiration
The current Time Warner Cable logo is primarily an attempt to emphasize the new products available after the Time Warner Cable sale to Charter, while still reassuring loyal customers of Time Warner. A blue and grey color scheme references both the colors used in the Charter logo, and the colors used in the old 1990 Time Warner logo.
The triangular arrow shape mimics the edge of the eye on the more iconic Time Warner Cable logo, so it subtly reminds customers of the company’s older logo. Another reference to the old logo is the curved, sans-serif font of the Spectrum logo. Despite all these similarities, the brand new name on the logo reminds customers of all the updates to Time Warner Cable.
Trivia
- The original ear and eye logo was designed by Steff Geissbuhler, who also worked on the NBC peacock logo.
- Time Warner Cable was recently rebranded as “Spectrum” because the company wanted to emphasize that they offer a broad spectrum of television, phone, and fiber-optic internet services.
- A lot of people were bitter about the Time Warner Cable rebranding, but it was apparently done because many people have negative experiences with cable companies. Charter executives say they renamed Time Warner Cable because marketing research found customers reacted negatively to the word “cable.”
Conclusion
All of the many alterations to the Time Warner Cable company have been reflected in their logo. These changes may have harmed brand recognition for the company, but they do help to emphasize the flexibility and versatility of Time Warner Cable. Even though the company no longer has its signature eye logo, it still manages to appeal to customers with the crisp and stylish Spectrum logo.
Recommended Read: Comcast Logo Design History and Company Evolution
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