A (BREIF) GRAPHIC HISTORY OF ABC TV
The ABC radio was founded on July 1st 1932 as the Australian Broadcasting Commission. Below is the first logo to be seen on some stationery, publications, microphone badges and vehicles, as well as cricket books until at least 1935.
Between 1935 - 1965, there were two updates to the ABC radio logo as seen below
In 1953, The Commonwealth passed the Television Act which opened the way to a new era of broadcast communications. introduced by Prime Minister Robert Menzies, The ABC launched its new television services on November 5th 1956 with Channel ABN2-Sydney featuring the below artwork as the networks’ logo. This logo was used in articles promoting the launch of the channel. The call sign stood for ABC New South Wales.
On the night ABN-2 Sydney began transmission, this was the first animated logo seen on-screen.
In 1965, ABC graphics designer, Bill Kennard, who had been experimenting with telerecording of the cathode ray oscilloscope displays, submitted a design which was part of the waveform from an oscilloscope. Known as the ‘lissajous’ after the French physicist Jules Lissajous who studied vibrations using tuning forks, the three arms of the logo reflected the way broadcast engineers used Lissajous patterns to help tune equipment. The letters A-B-C were added to the design and it was adopted as the ABC's official logo. Kennard was presented with £25 for his design.
Introduced in late 1974, the Lissajous curve design experienced its first facelift with the line thickened to allow for colour to be used. It would also be treated to the ‘over and under’ effect, showing the crossover of the line in the design. On July 1st 1983, the Australian Broadcasting Commission changed their name to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation while keeping the 1974 logo. As of 2002, this logo was phased out in favour of the next one, but it was revived just 16 years later. As of 2023, this logo has served as the ABC’s longest-running design with a lifespan of 49 years.
The ABC holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. From watching Play School as a child to Four Corners as an adult, it’s one of the few media companies that is relevant through the entirety of our lives. It has brought us GTK, Countdown, Rocturnal, Rage & Triple J; which many would agree have been pivotal in shaping our unique music scene across the country. Because of these reasons (and many, many more), we felt it fitting to pay tribute to our national broadcaster with our ABC Hooded Fleece & SS Tee which are now available for purchase through our online store.
If you care to find out more about the history of the ABC, look here