I applaud CBS for sticking to their guns for over 50 years. The longer you use a logo the more powerful it will become, and this holds true for the iconic CBS eye. Here is a great little Flash animation on CBS’ website showcasing some of their onscreen identities throughout the years, and a bit of information behind it. An interesting excerpt:
“William Golden’s original inspiration came while he was driving through Pennsylvania Dutch country, where he became intrigued by the hex symbols resembling the human eye drawn on Shaker barns to ward off evil spirits. He also came across a drawing in a Shaker art book from the 1850s that also looked like an eye. With the help of graphic artist Kurt Weiss, the first Eye logo was drawn.”
I remember being a bit unnerved by this logo when I was kid, probably because of the big brother nature of the design. Seeing that big eye looking back at me gave me the impression they were watching me. Interesting dichotomy.
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