BETCopied

BET unveiled a new logo and identity during the 2021 BET Awards, broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, in what Variety called perhaps the largest transformation in the network's 40-year history. The previous mark, in various forms, had been in use since 2005. BET called the change a pivotal shift and a commemoration of its 40-year legacy of Black excellence. The work was led by New York agency Sibling Rivalry with BET's in-house team.

The most visible change is structure. The letters now form a square: B and E on top, T and the network's signature star beneath. Chief brand officer Kimberly Paige said the star, dubbed 'Black Star Power', had been part of the identity from the start. The star can turn into a plus sign or another symbol depending on whether the focus is the linear channel or digital, streaming and live arms. Paige said consumer testing showed the elements stayed recognisable even when rearranged. Some BET leaders called stacking the letters 'breaking the logo'; Paige said the network had instead 'liberated' it, using its equity.

The concept was called 'Black Canvas'. Paige described the square as a metaphor for a blank, Black canvas where Black creators, talent and audiences come together, a shape that is fluid, stretching and flexing to showcase all forms of Black expression. The system extends to BET+, BET Her, BET X, BET Jams and BET Soul, each given its own character inside the black square, Deadline and Transform reported. Transform added that the launch included murals painted by artists in cities such as Houston, Baltimore and Atlanta.

Variety called it perhaps the largest transformation in the network's 40 years. The letters now stack into a square, B and E above, T and the signature star below, and the star can turn into a plus or another sign depending on whether the focus is the linear network or its digital, streaming and live arms. Chief brand officer Kimberly Paige called it not an evolution but a brand revolution, arguing that advertisers were finally seeing the value of Black audiences that BET had always known. The star, dubbed Black Star Power, was the thread to the past.

Turning a wordmark into a container is a clever move for a network with many sub-brands. The square gives BET a frame it can fill with anyone's work, which suits a mission about Black creativity. Stacked, the letters lose a little legibility, but the star does the recognition work.