Tracking Down the HBO Logo and Font History
Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television network founded on November 8, 1972 and owned by WarnerMedia Studios & Networks.
HBO is headquartered in New York City but broadcasts across the country. The 24-hour network runs its programs in English and Spanish.
HBO Logo and Font Information
The HBO logo features the company’s initials set in a bold, black color and written in ALL-CAPS. The letter “O” has a white circular ring, which helps to distinguish the logo from brands with a similar name.
But like many companies with a fairly long history of existence, HBO has carried out several upgrades and modifications to its logo since its inception.
The original HBO logo was centered on the company’s full name. This logo featured the words “Home Box Office” set inside a rectangular shape formed through a stylized depiction of a lighted marque. A ticket stub was set right next to the word “Box.” HBO used this logo from 1972 to 1975.
In 1975, graphic designer Bemis Balkind developed a new logo for HBO. The new logo had the abbreviation “HBO,” in what seemed like an admission that the company had achieved tremendous popularity and no longer had to use its full name on its branding materials. The letter “O” in this logo cut into the preceding letter “B.”
The next and final upgrade to the HBO logo happened in 1980. These were mainly touch-ups and not significant modifications, as they only focused on making the letters “B” and “O” distinct from each other. Instead of the letter “O” cutting into “B” as was the case with the previous logo, the letters appeared slightly attached in the new logo.
But while HBO has conducted several upgrades to its logo over the years, two elements have remained largely unchanged – the color and font.
HBO has maintained its black-and-white color palette throughout its existence. The company has also used the ITC Avant Garde Gothic font over the years.
ITC Avant Garde Gothic is a geometric sans-serif typeface family modeled after the main font used in the official logo of the Avant Garde magazine. This font was developed by Herb Lubalin in collaboration with Tom Carnase, Ed Benguiat, André Gürtler, Erich Gschwind, and Christian Mengelt. Benguiat took charge of developing Avant Gothic’s condensed versions, whereas Gürtler, Gschwind, and Mengelt developed the obliques.
ITC Avant Garde Gothic was initially released to the general public between 1970 and 1977. The font is published by the International Typeface Corporation.
It’s currently available in several styles, including;
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Bold
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Bold Condensed
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Bold Oblique
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Bold Condensed Oblique
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Medium
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Extra Light
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Book
• ITC Avant Garde Gothic Std Demi
ITC Avant Garde Gothic also has several digital versions, including ITC Avant Garde Gothic Pro, ITC Avant Garde Mono, and William Sans LET.
Where to Download ITC Avant Garde Gothic
Fonts Geek, Fonts Free Pro, and Free Fonts Family are examples of the many websites to download the ITC Avant Garde Gothic. The font is free for personal use, with a premium plan available.