The PBS NewsHour rebrand focused on creating a unified visual identity across broadcast and digital platforms while preserving the trusted character of the brand. Partnering with design agency Lippincott, the team conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research—including internal focus groups—to define audience needs and guide early design decisions. This research informed color, typography, and motion language, ensuring consistency without homogenization.

The design introduced a distinctive PBS Navy blue and balanced it with red accents to maintain the show’s unique identity. A key visual motif—the angled “Field of Vision” shape derived from the PBS logo profile—links legacy and modernity, appearing in set design, titles, and graphics as a flexible creative device. Typography combines PBS Sans Condensed for the wordmark with Publico and Söhne designed by from foundary Klim, extending a bold serif presence rarely seen in news graphics.

Motion design was reimagined to be dynamic and digital-first, with near-constant movement appealing to younger streaming and social audiences while remaining accessible to traditional viewers. Opening titles weave in PBS values such as “Trust” and “Credibility,” alongside topical keywords, delivering an immediate sense of depth and breadth.

To support a hybrid newsroom, the package was built in Adobe Creative Suite and Ross XPression, introducing new workflows and transition logic for faster, more flexible production. The result is a modern, research-driven system that aligns set design, on-air graphics, and digital experiences, positioning PBS NewsHour for growth across both linear and emerging platforms.