RTL Z is a Dutch business and financial news television channel that began on 6 June 2001 as a joint venture between Holland Media Groep and Belgian Business Television.[1] The channel’s visual identity has undergone two significant redesigns since its launch, most recently in 2023 when it adopted the unified multi-coloured RTL Nederland logo.
Design and History
In August 2015, RTL Z unveiled a new logo ahead of its relaunch as a standalone 24-hour channel on 7 September 2015. The broadcaster described the mark as featuring a “renewed and powerful” Z, and introduced the slogan “Business, not as usual.”[2] Dutch design studio Smörgåsbord created the visual identity, including both the general house style and the on-air channel design. The studio centred the design around “one point perspective,” a visual technique associated with film director Stanley Kubrick, to convey a sense of looking forward and progress.[2]
On 1 May 2023, RTL Nederland introduced a new multi-coloured logo across all of its Dutch channels, including RTL Z, as well as its themed channels RTL Crime, RTL Lounge and RTL Telekids, and its digital platforms RTL.nl and the RTL app.[3] The rebrand unified the corporate and channel logos into a single identity, replacing the separate channel-specific marks that had been in use.[4]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 2023 multi-coloured RTL logo was designed to reflect the versatility of the broadcaster’s content. According to RTL Nederland, the logo “colours along with the content” and reflects the variety and diversity of its programmes and online offering.[4] The company stated that the change was intended to offer viewers, visitors, relations and job seekers “one experience” across all touchpoints.[5]
To preserve distinction between the individual channels within the unified identity, RTL Nederland worked with CapeRock, an Amsterdam-based brand design studio, to develop the identity for the Dutch market. The broadcaster retained recognisable channel colours, such as the familiar orange of RTL 4, to help viewers navigate between channels.[4]
Typography and Design
The 2023 corporate visual identity was further developed by a team of Dutch designers: John Beckers, Eveline Schram and Anouk van Dijk, who created colourful illustrations and animations for the corporate house style.[4] The illustrations were designed to bring themes such as diversity, inclusivity and sustainability to life within the brand’s communications.[5]
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