OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network) discovered a brand metaphor in the name itself. Bigsmack, the company responsible for animating the network’s logo for on-air visuals wanted something substantial, and they eventually came to focus on the letter O. In addition to being iconic of the most evocative word in the name (“Oprah”), it also became a symbol for what the network represented.
Andy Hann, Bigsmack’s creative director: “Going inside the ‘O’ is a metaphor for journey, personal growth, and awakenings, which is what Oprah is all about.”
Similarly, Symbols.com describes the circle as a “general symbol for the eternal, the endless, that which is without beginning or end, all possibilities.”
While this wasn’t emphasized in the original logo by Bruce Mau Design, Bigsmack’s creative use of metaphor gave specific meaning and direction to on-air uses of the logo, which take viewers through the circular portal as a means to begin their own journey.
