RTL (Germany)Copied

For almost three decades, as DWDL put it, RTL had barely tinkered with its channel logo. In 2021 it changed it fundamentally. The company presented the repositioning and new design of its core brand at the Screenforce Days, together with its parent RTL Group, describing a move from a TV channel brand to an entertainment provider across TV, streaming and audio. Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland became RTL Deutschland, the streaming service TVNOW was to be renamed RTL+, and the brand architecture was to be harmonised step by step under a single RTL.

The logo keeps its structure and abandons its colours. RTL's announcement described a modernisation of the three-colour rectangular logo following a simple rule: the content defines the brand. The colours are customisable to highlight themes and partnerships, and anyone, from users to staff to partners, can create a personal RTL logo. The company called the result unique in the European media landscape for its range of colour. DWDL's Alexander Krei, reporting on 15 September 2021 as the design went on air on RTL and the pay channels RTL Crime, RTL Passion and RTL Living, noted that the logo still consists of three boxes, now spaced further apart, with narrower letters and a new house typeface called United.

Chief marketing officer Julian Weiss told DWDL that RTL aimed to own all colours and that the logo was a statement for diversity, entertainment and inspiration, while insisting colour was not an excuse for anything goes: it is always drawn from the programming. DWDL also reported that TVNOW would become RTL+ on 3 November and that the image campaign alone would cost a double-digit million sum.

Keeping the three boxes was wise; it is one of the most recognisable shapes in German television. Owning all colours, though, is another way of owning none. The red, yellow and blue triad was RTL; a logo that can be any colour depends entirely on the boxes and the letters to stay recognisable, and narrower letters do not help. The customisable logo for staff is a nice internal gesture and a gift to every marketer who wants a branded rainbow. The real test is whether viewers can still spot RTL from across the room.