As you scroll through your four hundred channels on your digital cable television today do you ever wonder when, who, and how these stations have stayed successful for so many years? CBS, NBC, and ABC are the most well known television stations of our time, what makes than so successful.
Designers have planned a major role in the success of these stations. The identity of the station was created by the designers and had lead to the success. The broadcasting industry started out small. Small groups would broadcast from rooftops of high rises to local audiences every day. The Industrial Revolution was arriving and new technology was becoming available more and more.
David Sarnoff, founder of NBC and William Paley, they founder of CBS were the two man responsible for the take off of national broadcasting. These two men had quite different ideas of how the industry would become a success.
English: CBS Building (Black Rock)
CBS Logo Light
William Paley, by George Romney (died 1802). See s...NBC (National Broadcasting Company) was the bigger of the two, mainly because they were supported by RCA, which was the world's largest distributor for radio receivers. Sarnoff from NBC was more interested in the technical side of broadcasting. Paley on the other hand was more into the design side. Paley first got into broadcasting from advertisement. In 1928, the wealthy man he was, he purchases UIB and renamed it CBS (Columbia Broadcasting System). He had a great passion for art and design and he believed that "design served a crucial purpose within corporate culture."(156). These were the principles that CBS has carried with them throughout the years.
The eye of CBS is a logo that can be recognized by almost anyone today. The logo is so successful because it is recognized by so many. When you see the eye you know you are watching CBS...