The CW Unveils New Branding Look, Dropping the The and Embracing a Hot Sauce Color

The CW is spicing up its look. Timed to Sundays airing of the Critics Choice Awards, the Nexstar-run netlet is unveiling an evolution in its logo and brand identity. That includes a new red-orange color palette that the network calls CW hot sauce.

The CW is spicing up its look. Timed to Sunday’s airing of the Critics Choice Awards, the Nexstar-run netlet is unveiling an “evolution” in its logo and brand identity. That includes a new red-orange color palette that the network calls “CW hot sauce.”

“The CW is in the middle of a brand transformation, and a new network deserves a new look and feel,” The CW chief marketing officer Chris Spadaccini said. “When I got here, not only did I arrive to find a logo that was slightly dated, there was really zero consistency in terms of how we presented our brand. Everything just looked very different. Even though I love the programming and even the marketing creative was great, there was really not a very well defined brand behind it. That was the impetus for the project when [The CW entertainment president] Brad [Schwartz] hired me.”

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To the untrained eye, the new CW logo looks like the old one. But it has indeed been given a tweak: Most notably, the “The” in “The CW” logo has been removed, so its logo now just says “CW.” To be clear, “The CW” will still refer to itself as “The CW.” But the “The” will now be implied, instead of in the logo.

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“We came to the conclusion that the logo needed a makeover, and the ‘The’ is not readable,” said Spadaccini. “Where it’s placed currently in the logo does not reduce down well to digital formats. It’s not readable in streaming, it’s not readable in social media. It’s not readable on anything on a mobile screen, which is where we’re largely engaging with our customers. So that creates problems.”

The ”The” also doesn’t work with some of the network’s new franchises, like sports, Spadaccini said. “We’re not ‘The CW Sports.’ We’re ‘CW Sports.’ We’re not presenting ‘The CW Original,’ we’re presenting a ‘CW Original.’ But we are still very much ‘The CW.’ That’s how people refer to us. That’s how the press refers to us. Even if I tried to drop the, it would be impossible because in the culture, we’re always ‘The CW.’ It’s not ‘The NBC’ or ‘The ABC,’ so it kind of differentiates us.”

Spadaccini noted that besides removing the “The,” the logo tweaks aren’t radical. (He said the network could have considered a full logo change, but then it might as well change the name — which The CW did not want to do.) But the logo lettering has been made a touch bolder. And perhaps most apparent, the decision to shift from the CW’s longtime green to that hot sauce color will absolutely be noticeable.

“Color selection was challenging, because of how cluttered the landscape is,” Spadaccini said. “We did a whole map of all the logos in the space, and blue is just so cluttered between Disney and Max and Amazon and Fox. We needed to stay away from there and we landed on a reddish orange kind of hot orange that we’re branding ‘hot sauce.’ We think it’s cool because it’s warm, it’s energetic, it’s accessible, it stands out.” The color is supplemented by a pink he’s calling “icing” and a light green he dubs “mint.”

Spadaccini said he may be most proud of a new network symbol that will be incorporated in on-air spots. Called “the stage,” the CW’s logo will expand and contract into a “stage” where information will be shared with viewers.

“We wanted to try to find a symbol that we could own, our version of Paramount’s mountain,” he said. “This is actually born of our brand DNA. It comes directly out of the logo, and it forms a holding device, for anything that we are choosing to curate for our viewers. It can hold copy; it can expand and reveal information and be a pedestal or platform where we showcase our stars or our show titles. It can also move and swipe to transition from screen to screen. It is a very cool and flexible symbol which right now means absolutely nothing. But over time, the more people see it and engage with it, the more they will associate it back to our brand. I think it could be our thing.”

The marketing chief is also excited about another subtle element that he hopes to build into something big: A sonic branding system that centers on the audio from an actual striking of a match that the team recorded. “That kind of plays off the hot sauce a little bit,” he said. “It’s the igniter. It’s what sparks your emotion, and gets people curious about what the CW is about to reveal on our stage. We think that’s really cool and there’s a lot more work to be done there.”

What you won’t see just yet —if ever — is a new network slogan. The CW’s previous mantra, “Dare to Defy,” has been retired, and won’t be replaced.

“I’m not a huge fan of taglines, although I wouldn’t rule it out,” said Spadaccini, who in his previous two decades at HBO took part in one of the most legendary on-screen slogans: “It’s Not TV. It’s HBO.” “Given how competitive our space is, I think it’s hard to come up with a short, pithy line that actually is going to have real meaning and be backed up by shows that support that line, or a personality that supports that line. It’s not something that we’re thinking about right now. My hope is that by the fall we are out with a brand campaign.”

Spadaccini said the brand revise will go into effect on-air this Sunday, along with social handles. The network is working with affiliates, as that changeover will take a bit longer, and the brand refresh is also a work in progress on The CW’s streaming platform. Some of The CW’s major market stations had de-emphasized the network back when there was tension between then-owners Warner Bros. and CBS with then-station group Tribune. That’s still evolving now that everyone is under Nexstar.

“If you are scrolling through your guide in New York and LA you do not see any reference to the CW,” Spadaccini noted. “That does make our job challenging when we’re trying to drive eyeballs towards the CW and it’s not something that a consumer in those markets can easily find. But it’s something that’s going to evolve over time.”

Viewers on Sunday will see the new 60-second spot that highlights the new look while promoting shows like Sophie Turner’s “Joan,” the new seasons of “All American” and “Walker,” the final season of “Superman and Lois,” some unscripted content and more.

UK-based agency DixonBaxi assisted with the brand refresh, along with new CW brand creative senior VP Rich Browd.

“Whatever identity that we created visually needed to appeal to Middle America, as well as to coastal audiences,” Spadaccini said. “It had to reflect the new direction of the network and had to be flexible enough to support a big push into live sports, as well as a broad array of programming.”

Here’s a sneak peek:

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