New look: SF Tagesschau

The Swiss national broadcaster, SRG SSR, is gearing up for the launch of six high-definition channels on February 29. At the same time, its TV channels will introduce new logos, two of them will change their names, and there will probably be some new graphics. This is a culmination of a rebranding process that was revealed back in May 2010, aimed at bringing the corporation's activities closer together. Expect a post about that when more information becomes available.

In the meantime, the German division SRF has unveiled a new intro for its news programme, SF Tagesschau, which also launches on February 29.

New logo: Associated Press

Yesterday, February 23, the Associated Press (usually known as the AP) unveiled a new visual identity, its first logo change in 30 years. The new identity system was developed with the New York agency Objective Subject.

It keeps the two letters that signify the news agency at the center. To allow continuity with the previous mark, the new letters have some stencil characteristics, and the red color is kept in form of an underline, "just like it would underline an important fact".

The letters are always enclosed by a "container" in the form of a white square. In that sense, the image above is slightly misleading, as the square disappears against a white background.

The red line, which is referred to as the "prompt", can also be used as a separate element. Another new visual property is a series of "watermarks" - lines inspired by the AP letterforms that can be used as backgrounds and supporting graphics.

New logo: RTL Nitro

Yesterday, February 23, Germany's leading commercial broadcaster Mediengruppe RTL announced that they were going to launch a new free TV channel called RTL Nitro. Scheduled to launch on April 1, it will rely heavily on US series, with German free TV premieres of Modern Family, Nurse Jackie and Chase. The logo above came with the launch announcement.

While the transition to digital TV has meant a string of new free TV channels from the major commercial broadcasters in most large European countries, this has not been the case in Germany. RTL Nitro will be RTL's first new free TV channel in almost 17 years, and its primary competitor has only launched one new free TV channel since the arrival of digital TV.

New logo: Bankpension

Bankpension Sverige administers pensions for bank employees in Sweden. Recently, probably this month, it introduced a new corporate identity, created by a Stockholm agency called Essen. They set out to simplify Bankpension's design and message, while also providing advice to back that message up.

New logo: Rana (2011)

Giovanni Rana is an Italian chef, entrepreneur and food celebrity who has lent his name to a number of Italian food products. They are marketed in both Italy and some foreign markets, including the US and the UK. Last year, Rana's food products started phasing in a new look in the Italian market.

New logo: A&O

A&O is an Italian supermarket chain with about 750 stores which is a part of the retail group Selex. This week, it unveiled a refreshed logo as part of a chain-wide renovation.

The previous logo, which seems to be relic of the "block" signs that were very common on supermarkets in the 50s and 60s, has been updated by making the squares a little rounder, revitalising it while keeping it recognisable. Four "bars" in different colours have been added underneath, that "give liveliness to the sign and are consistent with the new store environments".

New logo: MOM Brands

The Malt-O-Meal Company, an American breakfast cereal maker, announced yesterday, February 21, that it had changed its name to MOM Brands. This is a reflection of the fact that it is no longer a one-brand company and that it has grown rapidly during the last several years. At the same time, MOM Brands also launched a new website and corporate identity.