WQED, Pittsburgh’s PBS station, is reportedly adopting a new visual identity, replacing its familiar "three rivers" logo. The updated look prominently features a redesigned Q, cleverly reimagined as a speech bubble. This new logo began appearing on WQED's social media platforms in November 2024.
The station's website and television broadcasts, however, still utilize the older logo. WQED Multimedia, the station's owner, has not yet offered an official statement regarding this branding shift. The updated logo uses a customized glyph for the "Q," forming a distinctive speech bubble shape, while the remaining letters are displayed in a bold, clean sans-serif font, a departure from the previous geometric sans-serif style.
The previous logo incorporated three wave-like lines stemming from the crossmark of the "Q," representing the three rivers of Pittsburgh. However, the older design faced criticism for inconsistent wave thicknesses and a potential reading as "QWQED." The new logo resolves these issues with more consistent strokes and improved overall clarity.
The station's emphasis on the letter "Q" as a key brand element is maintained in the updated logo, effectively utilizing the speech bubble form as a unique visual cue. Although the pointed tail of the “Q” might seem slightly out of place compared to the rest of the typography, it successfully distinguishes the letter within the overall design.
The timing and scope of the full logo rollout remain unclear. Whether WQED's FM radio station, which previously shared the river logo, will also adopt the new branding is also yet to be determined. The speech bubble concept, while primarily visual, could be even more impactful for a radio station, symbolizing the exchange of ideas and information conveyed through audio.
Other television stations have previously experimented with speech bubble imagery in their logos, including the former HLN and WCIU in Chicago. The evolution of station logos is evident in other prominent examples. WGBH in Boston streamlined its branding to “GBH” in 2020, while WNET in New York City adopted “Thirteen,” referencing its channel number. The ongoing evolution of station branding reflects the constant efforts to stay relevant and visually impactful in today’s media landscape.