CTV Television Network, commonly known as CTV, is a Canadian English-language broadcast network headquartered in Toronto. The network launched on October 1, 1961, and has been owned by Bell Media since 2011. Its visual identity has remained remarkably consistent for over half a century, built around a distinctive tri-coloured arrangement of geometric shapes.
Design and History
CTV’s original logo was an oval-shaped letter “C” with the inside shaped like a television tube, containing the initials “CTV”.[1] In 1966, as colour programming was introduced, the network adopted a new logo depicting a red circle containing the initial “C”, a blue square with a “T”, and a green inverted triangle with a “V”.[2] This tri-coloured mark has been used by CTV since 1966, undergoing various tweaks to its design and colour shades along the way.[3]
The 1966 logo was designed by E.J. Morrison at Stewart & Morrison.[4] Stewart & Morrison was co-founded by Clair Stewart, a prominent Canadian graphic designer whose legacy includes iconic logos for CN Rail, Air Canada, CTV, Bank of Montreal, and Seagrams.[5] Stewart’s firm was the first Canadian-owned design firm and grew to international stature.[6]
On September 24, 2018, CTV unveiled a refreshed logo and branding elements with a flatter, “digital” appearance, as part of its first major logo and branding refresh since 2011.[7] The refresh was led by the Bell Media Agency.[8] The revised logo elements evolved to reflect a more digital language and include more colour, while keeping the focus on CTV’s signature red, blue, and green.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 1966 logo’s three geometric shapes, a red circle, a blue square, and a green inverted triangle, each contain one of the network’s initials. The colours red, blue, and green have remained CTV’s signature palette through subsequent redesigns.[7] The 2018 refresh kept the same distinct CTV red circle, blue square, and green triangle, though the colours were made slightly brighter with less reflective shine, creating what the company called a more angular appearance.[9]
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