Up until 1942 NBC only broadcasted through the means of radio therefore they're a lot simpler and very radio orientated. NBC debuted as a radio network in 1926, with a logo depicting a microphone surrounded by lightning bolts, superimposed on a map of the United States of America.
1926-31
1928-42
In 1942, NBC television introduced its first official television logo, a microphone surrounded by lightning bolts, which was a modification of an existing logo used by the NBC radio network. Lightning bolts were believed to have also been part of corporate parent RCA's logo, as well as that of one-time sister company RKO Pictures. The left waves were meant for the radio network, and the right waves were meant for the television network.
1942-46
1946-52
1952-53
In late 1953, a stylised xylophone and mallet was introduced, accompanied by the three-tone NBC chimes, first heard on NBC radio in 1927. The main chimes were seven tones. The current tones, however, are the notes G, E' and C', which were used because they represented the initials of the network's co-founder and eventual owner, the General Electric Company
1954-59
In 1956, John J. Graham created an abstraction of an eleven-feathered peacock to indicate richness in colour. This brightly hued peacock, which NBC called the "Bird", was adopted due to the increase in colour programming. This was also due to NBC's owner, RCA, being a manufacturer of color television sets. As a result, the peacock became a marketing tool, in the hopes that people tuning into NBC would purchase colour TV sets. NBC's first colour broadcasts showed only a still frame of the colorful peacock. The emblem made its first on-air appearance on May 22, 1956.
1956-75
Starting in late 1959, an animated logo joined the Peacock, appearing at the end of broadcasts. Beginning with the "N", each letter would grow from the other, forming a stacked typographic logo ending with the "C", forming the base. This would be known as the "NBC snake" The logo was designed by John J. Graham, and was used until the end of 1975.
1959-75
NBC's visual trademark was updated as an abstract "N", consisting of two trapezoids, one red, one blue. The design was bold, bright, contemporary and patriotic.
The new NBC logo was virtually identical to the Nebraska ETV Network logo, except for the blue coloring in the right trapezoid of the NBC logo. An out-of-court settlement was reached in which NBC gave Nebraska ETV over $800,000 worth of new equipment, including a color mobile unit. It also paid Nebraska ETV $55,000 to cover the cost of designing and implementing a new logo. In return, NBC was allowed to keep the "N" logo.
1976-79
79-86
The peacock's head was now flipped to the right – this was done to suggest as if it was looking forward to the future, not back to the past. The eleven feathers from its previous peacock logo was shortened to six to reference NBC's six divisions at that time: News, Sports, Entertainment, Stations, Network and Productions. The peacock's body is also in a more simple shape. Incorporating the six primaryand secondary colours in the RYB colour palette, this Peacock, redesigned by Steff Geissbuhler at Chermayeff & Geismar, remains one of the world's most recognized logos. The network maintains specific guidelines for the logo, including proper colours for reproduction, using eitherRGB, CMYK or Pantone colours.
1986-present
2011-present