TVOntario, now known as TVO, is a publicly funded educational television network and media company operated by the Ontario Educational Communications Authority (OECA), a Crown corporation owned by the Government of Ontario. The network began broadcasting on September 27, 1970, as the first full-time educational television station in Canada, and in 1974 it began using the on-air brand name “TVOntario.”[1]
Design and History
The most significant logo in TVOntario’s visual history was designed in 1975 by Dick Derhodge, the network’s in-house head of design. Derhodge remained with the network for approximately 28 years, and his team produced the on-air graphic look for many TVOntario programs, including the original children’s show The Polka Dot Door.[1]
The 1975 mark features a bold, playful and geometric construction. The glyph-like “VO” retains a human-centred feel akin to pictograms and iconography, connecting it to education and interaction. The accompanying wordmark is set in an untypically tightly kerned Optima (Medium weight).[1]
This 1975 logo was used from 1975 to 1992.[2] The mark is described as a symmetrical composition that packages the letters “TVO” into a single graphic technique, though readability was somewhat sacrificed in the process.[2]
In 2007, TVOntario introduced a new logo featuring the lowercase letters “tvo” in an American Typewriter-style font, rendered in white inside a red-maroon round-edged rectangle. This version was accompanied by the slogan “makes you think.”[3]
By 2015, the network had adopted a new identity, with the organization stylized on-air as “tvo.”[4] The current TVO logo, as seen on the organization’s website, uses a lowercase serif treatment for the letters “tvo.”[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 1975 Derhodge logo was designed with a bold, playful and geometric construction that was considered appropriate for the network’s educational audience. The glyph-like treatment of the “VO” retains a human-centred feel, similar to pictograms and iconography, further connecting the mark to education and interaction.[1]
The 2007 logo, with its lowercase “tvo” in white within a red-maroon rounded rectangle, was paired with the slogan “makes you think,” reinforcing the network’s educational mission.[3]
Typography and Design
The 1975 TVOntario wordmark was set in Optima, a humanist sans-serif typeface, in an untypically tightly kerned Medium weight.[1] The 2007 logo used an American Typewriter-style font for the lowercase “tvo” letters.[3]
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