In addition to being one of the most watched morning shows in America, NBC’s Today is also the forerunner and model of the morning news and conversation television genre in the country. Initially broadcast for two hours in the morning, the program became so popular that it currently takes up four hours. Many famous anchors appeared on “Today”. The list includes Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Hoda Kotb, and Meredith Vieira.
“Today” has a pretty amazing history that cannot be told in just a couple of sentences, but its achievements tell a lot. NBC’s Today Show, which debuted on television on January 14, 1952, has grown to become one of the most recognized names in morning news nationwide. It is also the fifth longest-running American TV series. Sylvester “Pat” Weaver engineered the concept. Weaver’s spouse persuaded him to switch the name from the catchy “Rise and Shine Revue” to “TODAY.” It is also commonly referred to as “The Today Show”.
What is Today Show?
Today Show is an American first-ever morning show. The NBC news division produces the show, which begins with a news update and goes on to present news features and interviews with newsmakers.
The prelaunch logo featured a simple design and sans-serif font with all lowercase characters. The logo was done in a black and white color palette. To create a stronger association with a morning show, the designer added a clock that showed 7 and 9 o’clock. It was surely a hint at the two-hour length of the show.
When the show started, it had a colorful and bright logo and each letter was filled with a different color. A light gray, three-dimensional outline added depth and interest. The company kept the clock idea, which seemed quite relevant. At the same time, the multicolored color palette made it look like a kid’s show rather than one oriented towards an adult audience.
A strict and minimalistic logo was introduced in 1960. It featured italicized, all-caps of a black color that created an image of a well-established and trustworthy company. The name is printed using a bold typeface without serifs. There are no other elements in the logo, including the clock seen earlier.
The inscription was rewritten to create a more cohesive and solid company image. The company had only the first letter capitalized but kept the black color palette. What makes this logo unique is the minimal spacing between the characters. They seem to be squished together as the letters are relatively tall. It can be interpreted as a large amount of news that one will receive in a couple of hours in the morning.
The logo introduced in 1960 was brought back in color. It is a sunny yellow with a thin black outline. The font has not been changed. However, the introduction of a new color energized and instantly made one feel happy when looking at it.
There is no more sunny yellow and a more classic black-and-white color palette was brought back. At the same time, there is an element that reminds of a sunrise. A half-circle is added above the name. It has a black outline and white inside. The inscription is no longer italicized to create a symmetrical look.
The company also used a colored sun logo. It had seven different lines create a sunrise gradient. The logo looks bold and would stand out on any background.
A few years after the introduction of the previous logo version, the company added a yellow and orange gradient to the sunrise portion of the logo. The inscription is now done in white and appears to have volume thanks to a shadow, which is also added around the sun. The whole logo is set on a blue background that reminds of the blue sky. The logo turned out to be a perfect match for the morning.
Minimal modifications were done this time. The logo has acquired a darker blue background. In addition, the sunrise has been made more dramatic and has a smoother gradient. It is also worth mentioning that the name was moved slightly further away from the sun.
For some time, the show had replaced the sun with an inscription “NBC News”. The inscription is done using the same font. The characters, though, were smaller and done in white. The show’s name is done in a peachy orange gradient and underlined with a thin red line. The designer brought back the italics to create a feeling of movement and progress. Moreover, the font has been slightly modified to have some stroke contrast and a squarish shape.
A familiar font has been brought back once more. This logo features a metallic gray gradient to create a modern and impressive look. It is worth noting that the overall design has not changed much and has been kept clean and minimalistic.
At the end of the 80s, the show featured a familiar sun shape in its logo. In this version, it is placed behind the name. The latter is printed using the same font, but the color of the inscription has changed. It features a matte golden and a shadow, which gives depth and creates a feeling of sophistication.
A very different logo design has been used for a few years. It has an orange horizontally striped background with “Today” printed using a well-known font and white color. The upper half carries “NBC” printed in small font and “News” in large white letters with a black outline on a white strip. The logo still carries the warmth that the morning sun brings and a recognizable font, which preserves the brand image.
This is another unordinary logo for the Today Show. It has two parallelograms creating an uneven cross as the base. Moreover, the logo features the famous peacock logo of the NBC company right above the name. The name itself is printed using a geometric font used in one of the earlier versions. The golden color of the backdrop and silver lettering made the logo appear grand.
It was not long before the viewers saw a logo with the sun. In this version, the gradient is not smooth. Rather, the sun is formed from four different stripes that get darker towards the center. As it was done earlier, the name is printed straight to create a symmetrical design.
It was also possible to see a basic name done in white with golden accents. The key to logo recognition was the preservation of the font choice.
Not much has changed since the sun with four rings was presented in 1994. The colors simply got brighter and bolder. Such an update is understandable as the logo looks more balanced and the bright colors do not take too much attention away from the name. Moreover, this logo gives more energy and somehow appears friendlier and more positive.
The logo of the Today Show from 2002 featured a geometric uppercase inscription on a glossy background made of semitransparent layers in red, yellow, and purple, the colors of the sunrise. The lettering was written in grayish shades and had the “A” deformed.
In 2004 the logo of the TV program was redesigned, keeping a warm, inviting color palette to signify its cheerful morning vibe. The semi-transparent layers of the background made up a perfect framing for the three-dimensional silver lettering in the uppercase of a geometric sans-serif typeface.
Another redesign, held in 2005, has brought back the iconic Sun logo, but worked in the shades and textures, making it metallic and glossy. The lettering was executed in silver and framed into a voluminous golden outline, while the shades of the graphical part also got a shining and lacquered surface.
For the first time in history, the “Today” line is done in dark blue. It was meant to create an association with the blue sky. The sun colors have also been modified, so the center is no longer as dark. Also, the sun has thin white lines separating the rings. Even though the color palette has been changed, the overall look stayed very familiar.
The update mainly touched the color palette. However, an attentive eye would notice that the characters are no longer as bold, so there is more spacing between them. In addition, the sun features a tiny half-circle of white color in the very center. The logo presents the company as a modern show that stays true to its roots.
In 2012 the logo gained a new background — a misty gray mirrored surface, where you could see the reflection of a bold uppercase wordmark. This version of the badge was used by the Today Show for only several months.
As the time went by, the sun got less and less rings forming its shape. Here, the designers use three thick orange lines with relatively thick white spacing between them. The orange has a shiny finish that seems to reflect light in the upper left corner. A similar finish can be seen in the black inscription right underneath.
The logo, used in 2015, had a laconic emblem, composed of just three orange rings, yet a very ornate background, depicting a city landscape under the sunrise rays. The logo reflected a blend of tradition and contemporary design, symbolizing the show’s enduring legacy while also embracing innovation.
A solid orange has been used for the sun this time. The inscription is also done in a solid black to create a nice contrast. Despite updates, the logo is instantly recognizable.
The logo has undergone another update soon after the last modification was made. It was decided to return to an orange shade that is closer to the original yellow and orange color palette.
This is not the first time that the logo features a white inscription on a blue background. The sun has a light yellow and peach gradient. Once again, the design reminds of earlier logo versions.
Another update rolled out in 2023. The sun has a shiny and bright yellow color gradient that contributes to a very positive and joyful image. A blue background follows the circular shape of the sun and creates an illusion of a sphere. The company managed to make multiple design alterations over the years and keep its image recognizable and with a meaning behind it.
With the exception of a few logos in the early years, the Today Show used only one font. There are multiple freely available fonts that can give you the same look. These include Proxima Nova A ExtraBold font and Aktifo A Black font. In some versions, the logo had the inscription italicized while others had the characters printed straight.
The color palette of the show has stayed pretty consistent over the years. The designers have merely changed the shades of yellow and orange. These warm colors created a very welcoming and happy atmosphere. They energized and filled with optimism and excitement. They also went back and forth between black and white for the inscription. As for the backdrop, it was typically white, although in some cases the company used blue to represent the sky.