Pentagram has designed a new graphic identity for P.O.V., the award-winning documentary film series on PBS. First aired in 1988, P.O.V. (cinematic shorthand for “point of view”) is American television’s first, and longest running, independent documentary series. During its two decades on the air, P.O.V. has broadcast documentaries by such notable filmmakers as: Albert and David Maysles (Salesman); Frederick Wiseman (High School); Michael Apted (49 Up); Ross McElwee (Bright Leaves); Errol Morris (Gates of Heaven); George Hickenlooper (Hearts of Darkness); Michael Moore (Roger and Me) and Mel Stuart (Wattstax).
Pentagram has redesigned the P.O.V. logotype in the typeface Gotham, and to distinguish the various applications, has created nine different standardized patterns to be encapsulated within the letter “O.” The patterns within the O’s were designed to change to reflect a film’s content: a playful spiral for a film about children, or an ornamental pattern for a historical documentary. In motion graphics, posters and advertising print campaigns, the O’s are filled with stills from specific films in the series.
A variation of the logotype was also created specifically for P.O.V.’s twentieth anniversary. Two graphic elements—“POV” and “20”—have been organized horizontally in the proportions of a theater screen (2.39:1) and a television screen (1.85:1).
The team also designed stationery, a viewer’s guide, a print advertising campaign and other collateral for P.O.V.
