Astound Broadband is the unified brand identity adopted in January 2022 by the American telecommunications holding company that previously operated under the regional names RCN, Grande Communications, Wave Broadband, enTouch Systems, and Digital West. The company announced plans to transition all of its regional brands to Astound Broadband effective immediately, with each legacy entity initially retaining a sub-brand descriptor such as “Astound Broadband powered by RCN.”[1]
Design and History
The Astound Broadband visual identity was introduced as part of a corporate rebranding effort that had been in development for more than a year before its January 2022 launch. According to CEO Jim Holanda, the design work on the branding was completed about 18 months prior to the public rollout. The company had originally planned to make the change in 2020, but the pandemic and the need to focus on broadband capacity delayed the transition.[2]The rebranding strategy was modeled after FedEx’s approach with Kinko’s, where acquired stores used combined branding for a period before being recast under the parent name. Holanda said the “powered by” descriptors in the RCN, Wave, and Grande markets were expected to remain for a year to 18 months before those legacy brands were phased out.[2]The name “Astound” was chosen after the company considered many potential names. Holanda said the company ultimately settled on Astound “given its strong aspirational qualities.”[3]Meaning and Symbolism
The current Astound Broadband logo consists of the full brand name in text accompanied by a symbol that can be read as a symbolic information explosion in the form of flying fragments. The mark is described in the company’s trademark filing as “a stylized burst emitting from the upper right tip of the ‘D’ in ‘ASTOUND’.”[4]The color palette consists of two corporate colors: purple and light green. The first word of the title, “Astound,” appears in purple, while the second word, “Broadband,” appears in light green. These colors are also used in the formation of the brand mark.[5]Typography and Design
The wordmark is set using a group of custom fonts. The first word, “Astound,” uses Magistral Cond Bold by ParaType, in which the first letter A has a straight cut in the upper portion and the final letter d has a beveled upper part of the leg. The second word, “Broadband,” is set in Neometric Alt Medium by TypeUnion. Both typefaces are described as sharp and easy to read at any scale, with their graphic differences highlighting the characteristics of each element of the logo.[5]Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
