The Discovery Channel's very first logo was launched on June 17, 1985, consisting of a television screen picturing the map of the world, and the channel's name set in Gill Sans.
1987–1995
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Aurora Bold Condensed Futura
For two decades, starting in 1987, the channel's logo incorporated the Discovery wordmark rendered in the Aurora Bold Condensed font (the familiar wordmark that would last until the 2008 rebrand) with a circular shape in front of it. The circle usually took the form of a rising sun, or an animated version of the "Vitruvian Man".[1][2]
Discovery Channel
1995–2000
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Aurora Bold Condensed Futura
Launched:
September 19, 1995
On September 19, 1995, the channel's name was simplified to Discovery Channel, dropping "The" from its name. A globe became a permanent part of the logo, and an underline was added to the bottom of the logo. They also launched a new tagline, "Explore Your World" (which later also used by the parent company in 2018).
2000–2007
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Aurora Bold Condensed
Launched:
August 2000
The logo was changed slightly in August 2000, when the word "CHANNEL" was moved into the underline, and the globe was altered to focus on the Pacific Ocean instead of any continents.
2008–2019
2008–2009
SVG NEEDED
Designer:
Viewpoint Creative 72andsunny
Typography:
Gotham (modified)
Launched:
April 15, 2008
On April 15, 2008, Discovery Channel launched a new logo that replaced the longtime Aurora Bold Condensed font with a modified version of the Gotham font, coupled with the new slogan "The World Is Just Awesome". The globe in the logo was merged with the "D" in "Discovery", creating a monogram that was usable as a standalone icon. The combination of the "D" in the wordmark and the globe were sometimes used separately, primarily as an on-screen bug during programming. The new logo and identity were designed by Viewpoint Creative and 72andsunny.
Discovery was rebranded again in February 2009 by Royale. They also altered the logo slightly by modifying the globe again, making the word "CHANNEL" bigger, disconnecting the C and O, and completely detaching the globe from the D. The modified logo was rolled out to Discovery's international channels during the first half of 2009.
In mid-2013, Discovery began de-emphasizing the 2009 logo in favor of using the "D" and globe symbol by itself on-air, with "Discovery" written underneath in print and social media. The network also adopted the new slogan "Grab Life by the Globe". Six different globes were used to reflect the channel's programming: earth, ice, gold, fire, water, and metal. This design approach was extended to promotional material such as trailer endboards.
On April 1, 2019, Discovery Channel debuted its first major refresh in eleven years, created by Roger, an LA-based design agency, along with the new slogan "The World is Ours". The globe became flat and moved to the middle of the "D", and the font was switched to Circular.
“Uniting the world of Discovery was incredibly important in the process, and with that, they wanted to be sure that the static mark reflected that. After some exploration of both abstract, and more classic map projections of the globe, we landed on a traditional map layout, tweaked to live within the circular shape”
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