TNT Logo

TNT LogoTNT Logo PNG

TNT, formerly Turner Network Television, is an American cable television network created in 1988 by media mogul Ted Turner and now owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel inherited its name from a sports syndication service created in 1982 by Turner Broadcasting specifically to broadcast NFL games. Although sports programs remain in the channel’s lineup today, the main focus has shifted to drama series and movies.

Meaning and history

TNT Logo history

Robert Edward “Ted” Turner was born on November 19, 1938 in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the age of 9, he moved with his family to Atlanta, Georgia. There, his father was in the outdoor advertising business, and that’s when Ted got his first experience in the advertising business, helping his father sell billboard advertising space. After his father’s death in 1963, the advertising business passed completely into Ted’s hands.

In 1970, Ted Turner took over the management of the TBS television channel, broadcasting in Atlanta, and gave absolutely no hope. The channel did not have a single original program, and mainly the network of its programs consisted of numerous repeats of old TV shows. However, Turner managed to do the impossible and in three years the channel became profitable, and in 1975 it went into national broadcasting.

Another year later, in 1976, Turner engaged in another business – the purchase of sports teams. And in 1980 Ted founded a company that was destined to become one of the most reputable news organizations in the United States, if not the world – CNN. And eight years later, in 1988, Turner founded another television station – TNT (Turner Network Television), which is popular among American viewers today, thanks to its drama series and feature films. And in 2007 TNT launched an international version of the channel in most European countries, significantly expanding its audience.

In terms of visual identity, not much has changed in the TNT logo since the very first version, revealed at the beginning of the 1980s, however, the minimalistic badge of the TV channel became more progressive and refined.

1982 – 1988

TNT Logo 1982

The original logo of the Turner Network Television introduced in 1982, featured a white diagonally-oriented abbreviation written in a bold geometric sans-serif typeface across a solid black badge, which repeated the contours of the inscription. The logo looked sharp and strong, showing the professional approach of the brand and its confidence.

1988 – 1995

TNT Logo 1988

The launch of the cable network in 1988 was followed by the redesign of the TNT logo. The color palette remained the same, black-and-white, but the geometry of the badge was significantly changed. Now the abbreviation was written in a straight horizontal line, using the modified Futura typeface, but with the vertical bars of the “N” elongated, making the sharp angles come out of the invisible frame, both on top and at the bottom.

1995 – 2001

TNT Logo 1995

The redesign of 1995 has kept the contours of the TNT abbreviation, yet significantly changed the style of the logo. Now the gradient-red three-dimensional inscription with a matte surface was set against a solid yellow horizontally-oriented oval. This logo stayed in use by the channel for six years.

2001 – 2016

TNT Logo 2001

In 2001 the TNT logo was significantly changed by the Trollbäck & Company agency. The new minimalistic concept of the logo is based on the distinctive lettering written in black capitals of the Helvetica Neue Bold font across a transparent background and enclosed into a solid black circular frame, drawn in a line thicker than the bars of the characters.

2016 – Today

TNT Logo

The redesign of 2016 was held by the Kill 2 Birds bureau, which decided to combine several previous versions of the logo into one. The new badge boasts a solid black roundel with the geometric white “TNT” lettering written on it. The characters are connected with their upper bars, which also cut the borders of the roundel.

Font and color

TNT Emblem

The bold uppercase lettering from the primary logo of the TNT channel is executed in a custom geometric sans-serif typeface, which is based on such commercial fonts as Moister Bold or Franklin Gothic, but with significant modifications of the characters’ contours.

As for the color scheme of the TNT visual identity, it is composed of a classic duo, black and white, which is always actual and strong.

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