# Cartoon Network new logo (2010)

> Cartoon Network launched a new logo in May 2010. May 2010 rebrand (Brand New School): tilted CN tiles -> straight flat CN tiles.

## Key facts

- Brand: Cartoon Network
- Launched: May 2010
- What changed: May 2010 rebrand (Brand New School): tilted CN tiles -> straight flat CN tiles.
- Why: Cartoon Network said it gave its checkerboard new meaning as a through line connecting a broadening range of content, from animation to live action.
- Industry: Media
- Logos: https://rebrandlog.com/logos/cartoon-network-2010/before.svg (before), https://rebrandlog.com/logos/cartoon-network-2010/after.svg (after)

## The rebrand, explained

Cartoon Network's black and white checkerboard is one of the most recognisable devices in children's television. In 2010 the channel decided to keep it but give it a new job. Variety reported that the network was continuing its brand evolution as it broadened its programming and added more live action shows, and that the checkerboard remained but had been streamlined, accompanied by a new tagline, CHECK it.

The network's own explanation, quoted by Variety, was that it was embracing its visual heritage of the checkerboard while imbuing it with new meaning: the pattern would provide a through line connecting a widening range of content, both animation and live action, and the new logo reflected that nod. The expansion rolled out across online, on air and outdoor platforms from 29 May 2010, timed ahead of the live action series Unnatural History. Variety added a playful detail: staff were handed black and white checkered Vans to celebrate, and the offices were redesigned.

A later release about the on air package, published by Frost Magazine, quoted Michael Ouweleen, the network's senior vice president of creative direction, saying the brand expansion represented a commitment to content the audience could not find elsewhere, and that the checkerboard is in the channel's DNA, reflected in the subtle redesign of the logo and framing a diverse slate from animation to live action. The release described a system where the checkerboard works like a chessboard with infinite moves, each part of the day branded with its own colour and humour, and a series of 14 black and white animated idents, each derived from one letter of Cartoon Network in the new logo and celebrating forms from hand drawn cel to 3D.

The redesign itself is modest. The tilted tiles of the previous version straighten into a flat, regular grid, cleaner and more architectural, and the letters sit more calmly inside their squares.

This is how heritage should be handled. The checkerboard was too valuable to drop, and straightening it made it more useful as a system: a grid can hold anything, which suits a channel trying to fit live action next to cartoons. The letter based idents are the real triumph, turning the logo into a playground for animators rather than a static badge. The weakness is that the flat version loses some of the bounce the tilted tiles had, and the CHECK it line is more pun than idea. But as a framework for a broader channel, it was smart, durable work.

In short: Straightening the board.

## Sources

- https://variety.com/2010/tv/news/cartoon-network-unveils-new-logo-image-campaign-15257/
- https://www.frostmagazine.com/2010/08/brand-new-school-aces-strategic-design-for-cartoon-network-brand-expansion/

## Cite this

Rebrand Log, "Cartoon Network new logo (2010)", https://rebrandlog.com/rebrand/cartoon-network-2010/, last updated 2026-10-20.