The HIT Entertainment logo is 3D. However, this was not always the case because the volume is noted only in the modern version. Older versions were conventional—flat and two-dimensional. The designers interestingly played with the abbreviation of the phrase Henson International Television: they placed one letter on a cube turned sideways. Moreover, each of the three visible sides has an individual color.
HIT Entertainment: Brand overview
Founded: | 1982 |
Founder: | Jim Henson, Peter Orton, Sophie Turner Laing |
Headquarters: | London, England; New York and California, U.S. |
HIT Entertainment is an entertainment company formed by three co-founders: Peter Orton, Jim Henson, and Sophie T. Laing. It belongs to The Jim Henson Company, an international distribution division. Its main specialization is distributing children’s content, particularly television series for toddlers and teenagers. The service was first offered in 1982. The current owner is Mattel Television. Head offices are located in London, New York, and Los Angeles.
Three partners established HIT Entertainment in 1982. This company quietly existed for seven years, after which Jim Henson decided to sell it to The Walt Disney Company. But Peter Orton was against such a move, so he took over the leadership and began to manage alone. This happened in 1989. Since then, the studio has expanded into entertainment content for kids, offering a variety of TV series.
Meaning and History
The new television studio kept the previous image in mind and maintained it properly to avoid losing its recognizability. The inscription was the basis of her identity for a long time, and now graphics prevail. This change took place in 2006.
What is HIT Entertainment?
HIT Entertainment is an American-British television company that was founded in 1982 and is currently owned by Mattel Television. It was founded by Jim Henson, Sophie T. Laing, and Peter Orton, who later took over the leadership. The studio is engaged in the distribution of children’s entertainment content.
1983 – 1989
At first, the visual identity of the TV company was textual. The base was an abbreviation for the full name of Henson International Television – “hit,” which was quite suitable for a company associated with entertainment content. The letters were lowercase, printed, and classic. The serifs appeared as miniature extensions at the ends, and at the end of the word, there was a bold exclamation mark. The dot above the “i” was very high. Beneath the abbreviation was the unabbreviated name, typed in one line in thin capital grotesque and separated by two black stripes.
1989 – 1996
After the rebranding, the company has a new logo. It was made in a completely different style, although it contained text. This period marked the beginning of the era of massive block letters. The glyphs consisted of broad lines of dark gray. The “H” and “T” were uppercase and tall, and the lowercase “i” occupied modestly between them. It was located under the head “T” and was complemented by a large dot, divided into four segments by two thin blue stripes. On the right was the phrase “HIT Communications PLC.” This inscription was vertical.
1994 – 1996
This emblem had limited circulation: it was used for only two years. The designers made the legs of the letters a little thinner, but the character spacing remained the same, so the inscription was dense. The new name of the television company, HIT Entertainment PLC, was used in the logo. The vertical inscription occurred on the right side of the “T” and was directly under her hat. An oval replaced the bold dot above the “i.” It was placed diagonally and was empty inside. In the center of it, two long thin stripes crossed, which went beyond the word “HiT” and crossed it out.
1996 – 2001
Monochrome disappeared in the emblem, and color appeared. The developers used very wide blue letters. The place of the dot over the “i” was taken by a colorful globe, which demonstrated the international status of the television company. For the globe to fit comfortably into the space under the high “T,” the designers cut off a fragment of its hat, and the adjacent “H” made a recess in the leg. In addition, they added highlights and repainted the full name of the studio in black.
2000 – 2008
In the version of these years, two-dimensional graphics prevailed. The developers have removed light reflections from the emblem, making the image simple, light, and flat so that it is better combined with displays and any media. The color of the letters has been changed to deep blue.
2001 – 2007, 2008 – 2014, 2017 – 2018, 2019
This logo appeared periodically and, occasionally, fell out of sight of the audience. It was identical to the previous version. The word “PLC” disappeared, giving way to the inscription “HIT Entertainment.” The company’s renaming took place in 2001 as part of a rebranding after transitioning to Lyrick Studios.
2006 – today
The logo that was designed for the DVD is still used in parallel. Now, it is the official symbol of the TV company and is intended for its presentation in advertising. It depicts a cube placed on the edge first. The three visible sides are marked with the letters “H,” “i,” and “T.” The first and last glyphs are uppercase and white, and the middle are lowercase and blue. The background colors are red, blue, and yellow. Beneath the shadow of the 3D cube is the name of the studio, with the word “entertainment” in lowercase.
The palette of this logo varied interestingly during its evolution. So, from the standard black-and-white version, it first turned gray, then blue, and finally multi-colored. Some versions were used in parallel and featured on different broadcasts, confusing HIT Entertainment’s visual identity story. Numerous changes in identity are associated with frequent name changes.
Font and Colors
For the inscriptions in all logos (except the first one), the designers chose smooth sans-serif letters—massive, even, and tall. However, they have no analogs because they are not written but drawn individually. The main colors of the emblem are black, blue, grey, white, red, and yellow.