BET used Sunday’s BET Awards to launch a new logo designs as part of a rebrand at the ViacomCBS-owned network. The new look stretches across its BET+, BET Her, BET X, BET Jams and BET Soul verticals, and was displayed prominently during last night’s live broadcast from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
BET
“The Black consumer has recently become one of the most coveted audience segments; we are thrilled for brands to begin to see what BET has known all throughout our 40 year history,” said Kim Paige, EVP Chief Brand Officer at BET. “It was time to leverage the brand equity we have built throughout the years to re-envision how we show up as the only brand that represents the fullness of the Black experience. For us, this is no standard brand evolution, it is a brand revolution, in solidarity with the cultural shifts driven by the Black community.”
The logo keeps the familiar B, E, and T and the star from previous incarnations, as research showed they were recognizable to viewers — even when rearranged, Paige said. After early feedback about the new image “breaking the logo” in stacking the elements, Paige said the idea was to “leverage the brand equity we’ve earned, not to break the logo, but as we like to say, we liberated it.”
Courtesy BET
Paige said the concept of BET’s new visual identity was “Black Canvas,” saying it positions BET as the destination for all forms of Black creative expression – for Black creators, Black talent and the BET audience. The square logo is the visual metaphor, while the motion logo flexes and grows “to showcase all forms of Black expression.”
Here’s a BET video showcasing the new look:
