The AMC logo looks at the user from the TV screen. The emblem promises to fill the space with interesting and exciting content; the main thing is to stay on the channel. The sign shows that the company respects the preferences of the audience.
AMC (TV): Brand overview
Founded: | October 1, 1984 |
Founder: | AMC Networks |
Headquarters: | New York, New York, U.S. |
Website: | amc.com |
Meaning and History
AMC Networks Inc currently owns the AMC cable channel. It is its namesake brand, which used to be called American Movie Classics. It replaced Montage to broadcast classic movies in North America. The program originally contained black-and-white films from the 1930s and 1950s and was free of commercials. This changed in 2002 to include contemporary shows, TV series, and blocks of commercials. After the change of content, the acronym “AMC” lost its original meaning – now, it is considered an independent name and is not deciphered in any way.
The network’s logos have changed as often as the eras of its history. Except for the first one, almost all of them had a similar structure: an inscription inside a quadrangle.
1984 – 1989
In 1984 Rainbow Programming Services added a new network to its portfolio, American Movie Classics. The logo featured this name: the designers wrote it in a column, using a font with a contrasting thickness of strokes. On each side of the second word were two five-pointed stars, from which three horizontal lines ran sideways.
1989 – 1993
At the end of the 1980s, the channel got a new graphic sign consisting of three overlapping rhombuses. A dark rhombus was shown in the foreground and two light rhombuses behind it. Visible parts of the figures in the background formed a discontinuous frame. The word combination “AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS,” traditionally divided into three lines, was written on top of the geometric composition. The designers chose a high-contrast white font with serifs and shadows.
1993 – 1999
The redesigned logo contained a khaki rhombus with two beige mini-triangles on each side. The frame, separated by thin lines, created a visual effect of volume. The orange acronym “AMC” overlapped the design, and the network’s full name was written in a thin, elegant, sans serif typeface at the bottom.
1999 – 2002
A new logo appeared at the turn of the century when the channel began airing commercials. The rhombus was turned white and given an asymmetrical blue border. The word “AMC” was slightly reduced, with the designers replacing the wide serifs with pointed serifs. The corners of the diamond-shaped base, on the contrary, were rounded. The phrase “AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS” disappeared. The author of this version is PMcD Design.
2002 – 2013
In 2002 the network significantly expanded its program beyond the standard format. And at the same time, it changed its visual identity, entrusting the process to Trollbäck & Company. The specialists redesigned the logo for a minimalist look. They put the black “AMC” lettering inside a white rectangle with a dark border. The first “a” looked lowercase, and the second “M” looked like a capital letter. At the same time, all three letters were the same size.
2013 – 2016
When the third season of The Walking Dead ended, the channel announced another rebranding. Designers redesigned the emblem again, depicting the base as a golden rectangle with a gradient.
2016 – 2019
The rectangle went black after a slight update, and the lettering went white.
2019 – today
In 2019, Trollbäck & Company brought back the design from 2002 but made the outer outline a little thinner. The base is now white again, and the abbreviation is presented in black.
Font and Colors
The AMC logo has no noteworthy graphic elements. It is used only as a “signature” of the TV channel, so it contains nothing but its name and a rectangular frame. This distinguishes the modern emblem from those that existed before 2000 because earlier versions were decorated with different decorations – from rhombuses to stars.
The upper and lower case letters were combined in the “AMC” abbreviation, where the designers combined a and c with a capital M and equaled them in height. The font was chosen by Trollbäck & Company. It’s very remotely similar to Coolvetica and a bit more similar to the New Rail Alphabet (NRA), but the coincidence in both cases is not a hundred percent.
The black-and-white palette is reminiscent of the colors of the classic movies that started the network. It’s also a tribute to the trendy minimalism used for the logo design.
AMC (TV) color codes
Black | Hex color: | #000000 |
---|---|---|
RGB: | 0 0 0 | |
CMYK: | 0 0 0 100 | |
Pantone: | PMS Process Black C |