National Film Board (1968) – Federal identity

FI-L-013

Used by: National Film Board of Canada (NFB)
Used from: 1968-present
Designer: Georges Beaupré

Description

The National Film Board logo is made up of a human figure with outstretched arms that are connected overhead. The placement of the head, surrounded by arms and body, symbolizes a visionary eye.

Designed by Georges Beaupré in 1968, the logo was adopted by the NFB as its official identifying symbol in 1969. The name given to the logo was “Man Seeing / L’homme qui voit”.

In 1986, a corporate signature version was created by animator Ishu Patel. The corporate signature preceded all of NFB’s films.

In 1993, the NFB modified the logo, placing the symbol over the “NFB/ONF” English and French abbreviations.

Paprika Communications was responsible for the last refresh of the logo in 2002. The “NFB/ONF” abbreviations were placed on their sides, positioned to the left or above a silhouetted version of the symbol.

Trademark Details

Application number: 0900449, 0921287, 0921288
Filed: 1970-04-06, 2011-08-05
Type: Design Mark
Category: Prohibited Mark; Official Mark

About the National Film Board of Canada

The National Film Board of Canada (NFB) is federal departmental agency that operates under the authority of the National Film Act.

Originally known as the National Film Commission, it was created in 1939 and it worked alongside the Government Motion Picture Bureau.

From the archives

The following information has been sourced from archived material of the NFB’s website

NFB’s initial mandate was to make and distribute films designed to help Canadians in all parts of Canada understand each other’s lives and problems. It was also responsible for coordinating the film activities of government departments.

NFB’s founder and the first Government Film Commissioner, John Grierson, wanted to make the NFB the “eyes of Canada” and to ensure that it would “through a national use of cinema, see Canada and see it whole: its people and its purpose.”

The Visionary Eye

Designed in 1968 by Georges Beaupré, then Creative Head of the Publicity Department, the NFB symbol, which is now an integral part of the logo, instantly identifies the NFB and its films, in Canada and in other countries.

It conveys a sense of seeing, of vision, of life. The drawing represents a human figure; the head resembles the eye’s iris. The upraised arms and joined hands suggest celebration. Its bold lines conjure up the art of the Inuit and First Nations peoples. The logo embodies Canada’s commitment to the art and technology of communications, but most of all it embodies the NFB’s commitment to people.

In 1993, the NFB logo was modified to accommodate the NFB’s English and French initials. As always, it is the first image to appear on the screen during any viewing of an NFB film or video.

Animated logo

Until 1985, it was the visual symbol designed by Georges Beaupré that introduced all NFB productions. That year, filmmaker Ishu Patel animated the symbol, adding colour and movement to the familiar silhouette to enrich the NFB’s corporate image.

In 1993, the NFB adopted a new animated logo, selected by a competition among its filmmakers. Produced by Yves Leduc and the French Program Animation Studio, this 8-second sequence was directed by animator Zabelle Côté. The symbol recognized across Canada and around the world – remains the central figure of the new animated logo, which also incorporates the new elements. The 3D computer animation was done by computer graphics artist Georges Mauro, while the soundtrack is the work of Ginette Bellavance and Daniel Toussaint.

Credit

Photo of National Film Board’s headquarters, the Norman McLaren Building, by Chicoutimi.