RTL Telekids was a Dutch children’s television brand operated by RTL Nederland. The name originated with the classic Telekids programme that aired on RTL 4 from 1989 to 1999, and was revived on 18 October 2010 as a morning youth block on RTL 8.[1] On 3 September 2012, RTL Telekids expanded into its own 24-hour digital channel available through Ziggo and Caiway.[2]
Design and History
RTL Telekids used two distinct logo generations during its broadcast life. A logo introduced in 2010 accompanied the brand’s return to television, and a refreshed version followed in 2017.[3] Both marks were built around the playful “Telekids” wordmark, typically rendered in bright, child-oriented colours, with the RTL parent brand integrated into the lockup.
The most significant visual change came on 1 May 2023, when RTL Nederland adopted a unified multi-coloured RTL logo across all of its properties, including the themed channels RTL Crime, RTL Lounge and RTL Telekids.[4] The new identity replaced the individual channel logos with one shared RTL mark, using recognisable channel colours such as the familiar orange of RTL 4 only as navigational accents.[5] The Amsterdam-based brand design agency CapeRock adapted the international RTL identity for the Dutch market, working with local designers John Beckers, Eveline Schram and Anouk van Dijk on the corporate artwork.[4]
By the time the unified RTL identity launched, the RTL Telekids channel had already ceased broadcasting. The youth block on RTL 8 ended on 31 December 2020,[6] and the standalone channel was confirmed to close on 7 January 2023.[6] Earlier, on 1 October 2022, Canal Digitaal had already removed RTL Telekids, along with RTL Crime and RTL Lounge, from its satellite offering.[7]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2023 multi-coloured RTL logo was designed to reflect the diversity of RTL Nederland’s programming and online offering. According to RTL, the logo “colours along with the content” and symbolises the versatility of the broadcaster’s output.[8] The unified identity was part of RTL’s one-brand strategy, following the earlier rollout by RTL Group and RTL Deutschland in 2021.[4]
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