Yes, MTV Is Changing Its Logo

For nearly 30 years MTV has used the same logo. However, with slumping ratings, the brand is doing what many struggling brands do: redesigning its logo.

So, how is MTV changing its globally recognized, iconic logo? Are the font sizes changing? Are the fonts themselves changing? Will the "TV" be moved off of the "M?" Actually, none of the above. The changes were made below the logo, it's a move that underscores the pitfalls of choosing a highly specific brand logo.

The MTV brand has represented more than "music television" for many years, and now – appropriately – the words "music television” are no longer part of the official logo. In addition, the original logo has undergone a slight morphing.

When MTV launched, the upside of the logo was that it communicated the very specific, targeted business of the brand to a potential audience that had never heard of it. Of course, the downside of the logo is that once the brand diversified to include material beyond music, such as, say, Jersey Shore shenanigans, the logo became confusing, or even absurd.

Of the change, MTV general manager Stephen Friedman told Ad Age: "Music is still at the center of so much of what we do, but we've really expanded what that means," he said. "We needed the logo to be flexible enough to have the artists within it but also the stars of our shows. It's an updating that speaks to this audience in a much simpler, bolder way."

The changes may be jarring to fans who have the original, pre-widescreen logo burned into their brains. However, years from now, it's doubtful the MTV audience will even remember what the "M" stands for. Indeed, does anyone remember that, just eight years ago, the MTV-owned reality-show-heavy cable channel VH1 (Video Hits-1) boasted the tagline "Music First"?