Cartoon Network

This page only shows primary logo variants.

For other related logos and images, see:



1991–1992 (pre-launch)	1992–2004	2004–2010	2010–present

Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its US networks division.

1991–1992 (pre-launch)

Designer:

J.J. Sedelmaier Productions

Typography:

Custom/Hand-drawn

Launched:

1991

Before Cartoon Network started broadcasting on October 1, 1992, this logo was used in its marketing to cable operators and advertisers to compete against Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel. The middle of the logo could be edited to feature all the characters (1 at a time) from shows that were planned to be aired on the network (mostly Hanna-Barbera characters, but it also included Looney Tunes and Popeye characters through an outside agreement to air their cartoons on the network). It had many color variations, including the text, as shown on some parts of the presentation reel. This logo was designed by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, who also animated earlier episodes of Beavis and Butt-Head, as well as the pilot/first episode of Harvey Birdman, Attorney At Law.

1992–2004

Designer:

Hatmaker
Primal Screen
DESIGNefx

On-air:
Hatmaker (1992-1998)
Cartoon On-Air (1997-1998)
Primal Screen (1997-2004)

Typography:

Eagle Bold

On-air:
Eagle Bold (1992-1997)
Birch (1992-1997)
Berthold Block Condensed (1992-1997)
Tambor Black (1997-1998)
Kruede (1997-1998)
Jacoby (modified) (1997-2004)

Launched:

October 1, 1992

On October 1, 1992, Cartoon Network was officially launched and debuted its now-iconic logo, featuring a black and white 7x2 square grid with each letter of the company's name on it set in Eagle Bold. One of the first appearances of this logo was on April 27, 1992^[1].

The logo was designed by Hatmaker, a division of Corey McPherson Nash. The logo is still used at the bottom of the Cartoon Network website until 2024, and it was also used on merchandising products until 2019 and again since 2022, and as a production logo from December 5, 1993, to January 21, 2019. In the network's early years, it was mostly internally referred to as "the Cartoon Network" (ex. Space Ghost Coast to Coast: "Everything was going so great, then the Cartoon Network calls me up and tells me 'oh sorry Harvey, but we're passing on your late night show.")

2004–2010

Designer:

Animal Logic
Primal Screen

On-air:
Animal Logic (2004-2007)
Awesome Incorporated (2006-2007)
Shilo Designs (2007-2008)
Capacity (2008-2010)
Laundry (2009-2010)

Typography:

Eagle Bold (modified)

On-air:
Shag Lounge (2006-2007)
Helvetica Rounded Bold (2007)
Glypha 65 Bold (2007-2008)
YWFT Ultramagnetic (2008-2010)
Base 5 (2010)

Launched:

June 14, 2004

On June 14, 2004, Cartoon Network launched a new on-air look, and a new logo replaced the one that had been used since the network launched nearly 12 years earlier, along with the new slogan of “This is Cartoon Network!”. The new logo's design was made up of two black and white tiles with the network's initials ("CN", borrowed from the previous logo), and the network's full name underneath it, also in the same typeface as the previous logo. The development of the new on-air identity was led in-house in association with Animal Logic in Sydney, Australia. It was used on merchandising products until August 24, 2010, and as a production logo from November 19, 2004, to April 14, 2013.

2010–present

Designer:

Brand New School
Primal Screen

On-air:

Brand New School (2010-2013)
Awesome Incorporated (2011-2013, 2018-2021)
Impactist (2013-2015)
Bill Richards (2015-2016)
Bent Design Lab (2016-2019)
Bullpen Studio (2021)
Gimmick Studio (2021-2022)
BUCK (2022-present)

Typography:

Gotham Ultra (modified)

On-air:

CN Bold (modified version of ITC Lubalin Graph Bold) (2010-2013)
Gotham Rounded (2010-2014)
Lubalin Graph Bold (2013-2021)
Avenir Next Rounded (2014-2022)
TT Norms Pro ExtraBlack (2021-2022)
Intervogue Alt (2022-present)

Launched:

April 21, 2010 (reveal)
May 29, 2010 (on-screen)

In September 2009, Cartoon Network began working on its third logo and "CHECK it" era. The prototype for the third logo, using ITC Avant Garde font, and the upcoming era was designed by Qube Konstrukt, but it was unused. A second prototype was made in early 2010, which has similarities to the final version and now uses the Gotham Ultra typeface, which became the network's typeface since then, with the Eagle Bold font continued to be used on its logo until May 29, 2010. The third and final version of the logo as well as the "CHECK it" era (possibly a play on the design of the network's former "checkerboard" logo) with the checkerboard theme is used extensively in the new look, created by its in-house design team and Brand New School, was unveiled on the network's 2010 upfront on April 21, 2010, and then officially became the primary logo on May 29, 2010, which replaced the 2004 logo on the said date of May 2010. On television, it was first used in bumpers featuring Chewbacca to promote the third-season finale of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The new logo was later brought to various European countries in November 2010, then to Asia-Pacific and the Philippines in October 2011, and Latin America in January 2012.

References

↑ https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Broadcasting-Magazine/BC-1992/BC-1992-04-27.pdf

[1] ttps://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-BC/Broadcasting-Magazine/BC-1992/BC-1992-04-27.pdf

[1]