National Indigenous Television launched on 13 July 2007 with a purely-typographic logo, set in an unidentified, extended, neo-grotesque typeface.
2012–2016[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Likely Bespoke
Launched:
12 December 2012
On 12 December 2012, NITV relaunched as a nationwide free-to-air, channel under the SBS umbrella. The new logo was indicative of the network's move to the public broadcaster. "The Black Box" represented the channel's foremost catering toward Black audiences and established the campfire aesthetic that would come to represent the channel for the next decade.[1]
2016–2021[]
Designer:
Unknown
Typography:
Bespoke
Launched:
26 February 2016
On 26 February 2016, NITV changed its logo to accommodate the SBS Mercator emblem and bring it inline with it's sister channels. The new logo retains the campfire motif, while implementing the Mercator projection strips.
2021–present[]
Designer:
Gilimbaa
Typography:
Akko
Launched:
12 December 2021
On 12 December 2021, NITV launched a new brand by the Indigenous firm Gilimbaa and a new tagline; 'Reimagine Australia'. The tagline is an invitation to all Australians to reconsider their national identity in respect to 60,000 years of First Nations history and culture.[2]
The new logo is a reconstruction of the SBS Mercator with clapsticks; a percussive instrument common across First Nations Australia. Specifically, these clapsticks are known as the 'Bilma'. The clapsticks represent a consistent rhythm, reverberating across Country. The color scheme of the clapsticks is illustrative of the four defining countries: Desert, Bush, Freshwater and Saltwater. The song lines that run through the Bilma portray NITV's function of communicating and sharing stories of First Nations to the wider population of Australia.
On 31 October 2023, as part of SBS' 2024 upfronts, it was announced that NITV will be converted to HD on 5 December. A standard definition simulcast will be available on channel 36.
