HBO Max Logo

HBO Max Logo PNG

The elements of the emblem show that the focus of the cinema is a variety of film genres. The HBO Max logo promises an exciting adventure for those who decide to spend time with the service. The sign hides maximum impressions and an impressive volume of TV shows.

Meaning and History

HBO Max was created in 2020, but the public learned about it a year earlier when WarnerMedia Corporation presented its new brand. The owners decided to use a familiar name for the streaming service. For reference, the television network HBO (Home Box Office) has been around since 1980, the Internet platform HBO Go since 2010, and HBO Now since 2015. So HBO Max joins them, becoming part of a large and cluttered system.

The prefix “Max” means the maximum amount of quality and exclusive content. In doing so, it hints at a competitive advantage over Disney+ and ESPN+ – in the sense that “max” is much more than just “plus.” In addition, the name of the service is consonant with the word “Cinemax” (another WarnerMedia trademark).

On the day of the presentation, the first version of the logo was unveiled. But it did not satisfy the brand owners, so Trollbäck+Company developed a new trademark for HBO Max. Both versions share the black word “HBO” with a big round dot inside the “O.” It’s a tribute to the HBO Original Programming emblem that originated back in the early 1980s.

2019

WarnerMedia Corporation unveiled a preliminary logo for the streaming platform in mid-2019. At the top was the black abbreviation “HBO” in a rectangular frame with rounded corners. It was almost three times smaller than the word “max,” which occupied the second line. A gradient fill was used for the frame and “max” – shades of blue and purple. Purple was smoothly transformed into red at the ends of the elongated letter “x” (on the right side).

2020 – today

The first logo did not catch on – already in October 2019, another version, created by the specialists of Trollbäck+Company, appeared in social networks. It also became the main logo for the service’s launch in 2020. This time both parts of the name are on the same level and are the same size. The abbreviation “HBO” retains its original design: bold dark lines, very narrow letter spaces, and a circle inside the “O.” The word “max,” on the other hand, looks new, though it remains in lower case. The developers cut off the rounded ends of the lines and reduced the stretched “x,” so now “max” is not perceived literally.

On the website of the New York-based agency Trollbäck+Company, it is said that the main task of the designers was to create a bright and recognizable corporate identity. At the same time, they were able to reflect the legacy of HBO Max by adding an element from the iconic HBO Original Programming logo.

Font and Colors

After the refinement, the visual sign is now more proportionate. It consists only of the lettering. However, the “O” can be interpreted not as a letter but as a symbol with a hidden meaning. The large black circle in the center resembles a pupil, making the “O” remotely resemble an eye. There is a connection here with the main purpose of the streaming platform: streaming video content. It’s the eye of the attentive viewer who uses the streaming service to watch movies and shows.

Trollbäck+Company designers created a set of custom glyphs for the HBO Max logo. Sharp angles and large curves dominate the typography. The first half of the name is written in bold, sans serif capital letters – just like the abbreviation on the old HBO Original Programming logo. For the second half, lowercase letters are used to make the visual symbol friendly and well-proportioned.

The black word “HBO” is balanced by the blue-purple “max.” The colorful gradient reflects the wide range of content available in the streaming platform’s catalog. In a preliminary version of the logo (before the launch of HBO Max), there were plans to add a pink hue. But representatives of Trollbäck+Company decided to limit themselves to a more uniform gamut.

HBO Max color codes