Our favorite cable channel for documentaries on technology and history, Discovery Channel, is seeking to refresh its brand identity with the unveiling of its new logo design and tag line.

The new logo’s blue background and the typography are very glaring alterations in this redesign. Of course, Discovery Channel will not drop its distinct globe emblem since it has become an integral part of its brand identity since 1995.

According to the creative team behind this new logo, the biggest challenge is to “preserve the globe that is so integral to the brand, yet find a way to make it even more connected to the name Discovery.” The outcome is the so-called D-globe or the linking of the globe to the letter D to create a new shorthand identifier for future uses. In the words of its designer:

“The new Discovery Channel identity package creates a deeply immersive experience for viewers — one that is bold, unfiltered and fun. We wanted to give the network a powerful, new voice and let their amazing programming shine through.”

Along with the new design is the change of tagline. Its phenomenal and highly memorable “Explore Your World” tagline has become “The World Is Just Awesome”. I feel this is a bit hokey or void of emotional appeal. Even though taglines are almost always changed whenever the logo design changes, perhaps Discovery Channel should have retained its tagline considering its brand recall.