Bulgarska Televiziya (Bulgarian Television) was the original name of Bulgaria’s national public broadcaster, launched on December 26, 1959. The channel was initially called simply Bulgarian Television (Българска телевизия), as it was the only channel available at the time. When a second state-owned channel started in 1974, the original channel was renamed First Programme, and later “BT 1” (БТ 1), with BT still referring to Bulgarian Television. In 1991, BT 1 and BT 2 were given separate visual designs and renamed Channel 1 and Efir 2 respectively. On September 14, 2008, BNT Channel 1 changed its name once more to “BNT 1” in an effort to put all BNT channels under a single banner. [1]
Design and History
The most significant and enduring visual identity associated with Bulgarian Television is the “antenna” mark created by graphic designer Stefan Kanchev in 1959. The logo consists of the Cyrillic letters “Б” and “Т” (for Bulgarian Television) shaped in the form of a TV antenna. [2] This mark remained in use for decades, with minor changes to the background but no change to the form of the image itself. [3]
In 2008, the red “cube” with Kanchev’s antenna graphic was adopted as the main logo of Bulgarian National Television (BNT), with green and blue variations for the channels BNT 2 and BNT World. [4] This 2008 identity was the last major change to the corporate vision before the 2018 rebrand.
In June 2018, BNT announced a competition for a new graphic symbol, which drew criticism from the professional design community for its open format and lack of jury. The discussion highlighted that the existing sign by Stefan Kanchev, created in 1959, was considered a world-class mark by many in the field. [5] The new logo was unveiled in September 2018, replacing the antenna mark that had served the broadcaster for nearly six decades. The four channels were rebranded as BNT 1, BNT 2, BNT 3 (formerly BNT HD), and BNT 4 (formerly BNT World). [4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The original 1959 Kanchev logo combined the Cyrillic initials “Б” and “Т” with the visual form of a television antenna, directly linking the broadcaster’s identity to its medium. [2] The 2018 competition brief stated that the new BNT logo should symbolize the broadcaster’s public function, its traditions and goals as a national institution, and its role as the most objective source of information. [3]
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