Public Broadcasting Service

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Brand information:

Website	PBS
Agency	Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv
Country	United States
Industry	Media

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The PBS logo features black color:

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The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor. It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America’s Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Downton Abbey, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, Masterpiece, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Nature, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, and This Old House.
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History of the PBS Logo

In 1971, PBS faced a challenge. Despite operating over 200 TV stations nationwide, viewers perceived these stations as local entities rather than parts of a national network. As a non-commercial, publicly funded organization, PBS needed to establish a sense of authority and scale to differentiate itself from commercial broadcasters and support its growth.

To create a more unified national image, PBS collaborated with renowned American designer Herb Lubalin. He was tasked with replacing the original logo—a simple wordmark in uppercase sans serif and three colors introduced at the network’s launch in 1970. Lubalin explored various designs, including solid geometric initials with stars as counters and red stripes. However, PBS felt this approach resembled the American flag too closely, prompting Lubalin to refine the concept.

After several iterations involving stars, an eagle, and other combinations of letterforms and arrows, Lubalin arrived at what he called the “obvious solution.” Drawing inspiration from the word “public,” he transformed the letter “P” into a stylized face, symbolizing “people.” This iconic design became PBS’s first nationally recognized logo and remained in use for over a decade.

By 1984, PBS sought a new logo to address a perceived issue with the previous identity: its focus on initials. Chermayeff & Geismar were commissioned to create a replacement. Their design featured a stylized human profile repeated three times using positive and negative space. This approach shifted focus from a single figure to multiple, representing the “public” in public television while removing the “BS” from the logo, as its meaning was unclear to many.

The new design retained continuity with the original logo, making only subtle adjustments to the face’s shape and orientation. Described as a “refined and expanded” version, the updated logo symbolized PBS’s national presence while allowing member stations to adapt it for their own identities.

In addition to the logo, Chermayeff & Geismar introduced a distinctive typeface, “Lubalin Graph Demi Bold,” released commercially in 1974. They also developed a fresh color palette, limiting it to a few vibrant hues. These elements were formalized in a new brand identity document that extended beyond the logo, creating a cohesive identity for PBS and its member stations.

The new identity empowered local stations to leverage PBS’s heightened national awareness, promoting both local initiatives and nationally broadcast programs. Despite its success, the redesign sparked some controversy due to its $35,000 cost. Critics, such as Bob Michals of The Palm Beach Post, argued that the previous logo was superior, claiming it was more recognizable without additional text.

Nevertheless, the updated logo proved effective and remains in use today, with only minor modifications, symbolizing the enduring identity of PBS as a national broadcaster.