TV Tokyo (テレビ東京) is a Japanese commercial broadcaster based in Tokyo, launched in 1964 as Tokyo Channel 12. The station has changed its logo four times since its founding, with the most recent brand mark introduced in November 2023 to mark its 60th anniversary.
Design and History
TV Tokyo’s first logo, used during the Tokyo Channel 12 era, featured a television set frame containing the white Arabic numeral “12.” In 1981, when Tokyo Channel 12 was renamed TV Tokyo, the logo was changed to feature the Japanese text “テレビ東京” alongside the number “12.” A 1985 corporate identity update adjusted the logo’s colors, with the Japanese text rendered in orange and the “12” in blue, coinciding with the station’s move to new headquarters.[1]
On October 1, 1998, marking the station’s 35th anniversary, TV Tokyo introduced a new logo featuring the English wordmark “TV TOKYO” in red and blue.[1][2] This mark remained in use for 25 years.
On November 13, 2023, TV Tokyo adopted its current brand mark, replacing the English “TV TOKYO” wordmark with the Japanese nickname “テレ東” (Teleto), the colloquial name viewers had long used for the channel.[3] The rebranding was timed to the station’s 60th anniversary in April 2024 and was developed in collaboration with the branding and design firm Landor & Fitch.[2] The new identity also includes an English-language version of the mark, with the “T” featuring the same arrow design as the Japanese character.[1]
Meaning and Symbolism
The red element at the lower left of the “テ” character in the current logo is an arrow shaped after the numeral “7,” referencing TV Tokyo’s channel number 7. According to the station, this “Teleto Arrow” carries the broadcaster’s intentions to reach each viewer’s heart and deliver “a slightly better tomorrow.”[4][5]
The logo retains the red-and-blue color combination of the previous mark, updated with two newly named colors. “Teleto Red” expresses the intent to deliver content warmly, sometimes passionately, and deeply to each individual, while “Teleto Blue” represents the desire to be trusted by viewers and partners. Together, the colors signal the station’s intention to evolve further on the foundation of its 60-year history.[4][2]
The rebrand also introduced a new tagline, “ちょっといい明日のために。” (“For a slightly better tomorrow”), reflecting the station’s newly defined corporate purpose and mission.[3]
Typography and Design
The 2023 brand mark pairs the Japanese katakana “テレ東” with the English “TV TOKYO” in a parallel arrangement.[4] The motion logo features the Teleto Arrow drawing an arc from back to front, expressing the station’s commitment to challenging conventions and delivering content that reaches the heart, with the “slightly better tomorrow” spreading outward like ripples. The accompanying sound logo uses three ascending notes inspired by the sound of everyday joy, “uhuhu.”[4]
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