RAI, formally Radiotelevisione Italiana, is Italy’s public broadcasting service. Its visual identity has undergone several distinct phases since the broadcaster’s early days, with the most recent corporate rebrand launched in September 2016.
Design and History
The first official RAI logo was created by graphic designer Erberto Carboni, who began collaborating with the broadcaster in 1948. In 1949, Carboni produced the first mark, featuring squared letters with a dot on the “i.” He later added a TV logo in 1953, and also designed the broadcaster’s first transmission opening sequence, which aired from 1954 to 1986.[1]
In 2000, the design agency Inarea developed a new corporate brand identity for RAI, introducing the iconic butterfly-shaped logo composed of two opposing human profiles. The butterfly symbol was meant to evoke dialogue and interactivity, and it retained the historic channel colors: blue for Rai 1, red for Rai 2, and green for Rai 3. The logotype used the Futura typeface. This butterfly logo remained in use until 2010.[2]
A square-format logo was introduced in May 2010, replacing the butterfly mark.[3] The current visual identity system was launched on 12 September 2016, when RAI renewed the image of Rai 1, Rai 2, Rai 3, and Rai 4. The project was led by the internal Creative Direction under Massimo Maritan, with Roberto Bagatti, Chief of Brand & Creative, directing the work.[4] The stated goal was to define a unique, distinctive, and more coherent corporate image, presenting a contemporary visual identity that is simple and open to all ages.[5]
The rebrand was extended in April 2017 to the ten thematic channels, completing the coordinated image across the entire RAI portfolio. The project was directed by Roberto Bagatti in collaboration with designer Florencia Picco.[6]
Meaning and Symbolism
The square, described as the canonical form of the RAI logo, became the protagonist of the 2016 look.[4] Roberto Bagatti explained the design rationale: “As Munari wrote, the square stands, in the most ancient structures and in the cave images of the first men, to signify the idea of home and country.”[6] Bagatti also noted that the idea of using a square was suggested by the work of Italian designers Mari, Munari, and Vignelli, and their interpretations of minimalism as simplicity, cleanliness, and order, with modernism as a timeless visual approach.[7]
Each generalist channel received a distinct square-based treatment: Rai 1 uses a standard square with a warmer blue, Rai 2 uses a carmine red that becomes a dynamic rhombus in different uses, Rai 3 uses a lighter green with intersecting squares, and Rai 4 uses purple with a fragmented square to convey a dynamic network.[8][7]
Typography and Design
The Futura typeface, a modernist classic used in corporate communication since the 1930s, was retained in the 2016 redesign.[8] The design was described by its creators as “modernist and minimalist,” intended to be clean and durable, ensuring identity, coherence, and continuity for the corporate image.[8]
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