I want my MTV

Global entertainment megabrand MTV has recently undertaken a massive rebrand of its 64 ex-US channels rejuvenating everything from colour palette to typography, program guide to on screen editorial – its all had a lick of digital paint. Aiming to cross borders, cultures and the huge hurdle of language – the new MTV international identity ‘reboot’ is chock full of beautiful.

Tackling a re-brand of a channel that has over two decades of cutting edge cool under its belt not to mention a mainline into youth culture the world over is no mean feat. MTV have historically set the trend of quirky and controversial idents.

On August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m., MTV launched with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll," followed by the original MTV theme song playing over a montage of the Apollo 11 moon landing and showed an fluoro MTV logo replacing the stars and stripes of the American flag.

MTV producers Alan Goodman and Fred Seibert used this public domain footage as a conceit, associating MTV with the most famous moment in world television history. Ironically at the moment of its launch, only a few thousand people on a single cable system in northern New Jersey could see it. Not bad for a kick off.

20 years on, MTV define themselves as ‘so much more than a music (channel)’ and they still remain the number one entertainment destination for young people around the world.

The new look launched on the 1st of July over a whopping 160 territories and tongue tying 31 languages and was a collaboration between MTVNI’s recently established World Design Studio based in Milan and UK-based multidisciplinary studio Universal Everything.

The snazzy new identity was designed to embody MTV’s signature world class design and production values and further solidify the channel’s position as a meeting point for music, creativity, youth culture and the premier place to get annoyed at rich bratty kids (Paris we are looking at you).

The team worked on three keywords; Love, Joy and Desire in the hope that the themes would resonate across borders, cultures and languages around the world – and became the project’s common threads and inspiration.

The new swathe of idents reflect the international status of MTV, and feature a clutch of top tier directors from all over the globe:

The new 6 idents came from:

‘Choc Gold’ – Tronic - USA

‘Mr Furry’ – Realise – UK

‘Oil’ - Maxim Zhestkov – Russia

‘Candy’ – Zeitguised – UK / Germany

‘Wind Kiss’ - Universal Everything – UK







‘Mad Drummer’ - Universal Everything – UK



Here is the dirty half-dozen for your veiwing pleasure:

Long may they innovate!