ABC

I was fresh out of art school, working for Bonnie Siegler and Emily Oberman at Number 17, when we were hired to redesign the ABC Daytime identity.

As admirers of Paul Rand’s iconic ABC logo, we designed a mark that retained its circular shape and typography while seamlessly integrating ‘day.’

In 2001, Steven Heller wrote:

To launch the identity, we created a series of animations. Some used physical props we built and filmed, transforming ABC to DAY, while others were digitally animated at an editing facility—long before motion graphics could be done on personal computers. One sequence, inspired by Busby Berkeley, featured dancing logos. These were transferred from an old VHS tape, so the resolution isn’t perfect, but the spirit still shines through.

This identity was set to debut in late 1993, which meant we were working in an editing suite just down the hall when Nirvana taped their legendary MTV Unplugged. But unlike that unforgettable concert, this identity never aired—blame focus testing! However, it found new life in design publications and an exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Decades later, it continues to resonate—Bonnie Siegler still displays one of the physical props in her studio, and in 2022, when Emily Oberman was awarded the AIGA Medal—the highest honor in communication design—this project appeared in the video celebrating her career and achievements.