It was 1974 when Burton Kramer crafted the seminal Canadian Broadcast Corporation’s kaleidoscopic logo, less reverently referred to as the exploding pizza. Though updated and iterated over the years, the husk of the original design remains with a red circle radiating in a faceted geometry, as might be seen through a dragonfly’s eye. And though the CBC logo was not the first nor the last to adopt this elegant burst effect it certainly is to this day the most visible, and is now impacting a generation of designers absent at its birth. An array of diminishing fragments projecting out of a core element is the signature of this motif. Each splice expanding out yet visibly dissipating like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pond. Proliferation, multiplication and reach all come to mind with this concept that looks like mitosis incarnate. Sony Music Publishing riffs on this look perfectly to represent dissemination of sound and the delivery of a digital product. Several in this new generation recognize the projectiles don’t all have to physically be disconnected from the host to demonstrate the idea. Despite the original CBC mark displaying a sunny sequential palette of colors, the majority of these trending marks have embraced a single tone, understanding the graphics convey change enough and that stepped colors may be a step too far.
CLIENT: SONY MUSIC PUBLISHING
