If you’ve ever just referred to The CW as CW, you are not alone. In fact, The CW somewhat agrees with you and has now opted to drop ‘The’ from the logo. This isn’t a proper rebrand, however, as The CW is still The CW.
Ahead of the Critics Choice Awards, The CW has opted to unveil its semi-rebrand which includes a new logo in a new “CW hot sauce” color. In comments provided to Variety, The CW’s chief marketing officer Chris Spadaccini explained how the old logo felt dated and contributed to a lack of consistent brand identity.
The new logo is supposed to fix the latter through the removal of ‘The.’ Essentially, ‘The’ was not considered readable on smaller screens and formats, such as smartphones, making it somewhat redundant. In removing it, the appearance of the logo is designed to look more consistent across devices and platforms, resulting in a more consistent brand identity in general.
What will certainly be more noticeable is the change in color. Previously green, The CW opted to change the color of the logo to ‘hot orange’ or, as Spadaccini explained, ‘hot sauce.’ Fans of the channel can also expect the new hot sauce color to be contrasted with an “icing” pink and a “mint” light green in marketing materials.
Apparently, choosing the color was one of the more difficult decisions, with Spadaccini explaining that blue was a non-starter due to how frequently it is used by other networks and services. Ultimately, the company opted for a ‘reddish orange’ that’s warm and energetic.
In spite of making clear that ‘The’ is not usable in a consistent brand identity, the company is opting to actually keep ‘The CW’ name. In fact, Spadaccini argued that ‘The’ is actually a differentiator when compared to other networks, making it a selling point in its own right.
According to Spadaccini, it is expected to take some time for the rebrand to take full effect. As a result, viewers may continue to see the old logo on some services and platforms for a little while longer.
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