CLG Wiki:Dictionary on Logos

When you read the articles on this site, you may wonder what certain words mean. In this page, we will explain what these terms mean. More definitions will appear over time.

ADO
An electronic method where 2D objects or planes move in 3D space.

Anniversary
Term used on a logo to describe when a certain company is celebrating their existence for a certain number of years. E.g. The Paramount 75th, 90th and 100th Anniversary logos and the 20th Century Fox 75 Years logo.

Blacked out
When a company blacks out either an outdated byline, "IAW" text, or an entire logo. E.g. Some variants of the Hanna-Barbera "Swirling Star" logos have the respective bylines blacked out by later companies.

B-movie
A low budget film that is usually released to public domain. They are often done with a low budget and with poor quality even though many attain cult followings because of it.

Byline
A short sentence explaining who owns a company. E.g. 'A WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY COMPANY' as seen on WB logos.

Cel animation
A method of animation that involves drawing each frame manually by hand. This method of animation was prominent before the introduction of Scanimation (see below) and digital CGI. E.g. Earlier variants of the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo were made in cel animation until the late 1990s when the logo was remastered in computer animation.

CGI
Stands for computer-graphics imagery or computer generated imagery. This means that the animation was done by a computer, whether it be 2-D or 3-D. Since computers improved over time, newer logos have more effort and creativity.

Cheesy
This means that the logo has not aged well; like stinky old cheese.

Choppy
When a logo stutters when moving. E.g. The 1987 DiC logo.

Chyron
An electronically or cel generated caption superimposed on a television or movie screen, sometimes done extremely sloppily.

Compressed (on-screen) credits
A credits style where the credits and their respective logos appear at the bottom of the screen, overlayed with the final scene of the show. The Viacom networks, starting with Nickelodeon in 2014, are notorious for using this style of credits.

Endcap
A closing logo.

Filmed
This mean the logo was edited on film, and these logos tend to have a lower FPS and sometimes the picture moves around slightly, compared to videotaped logos.

Film-O-Vision
When a videotaped logo is put on film. E.g. The 1991 Universal Television logo.

FPS
Stands for "frames per second". The FPS of a logo varies, especially between filmed and videotaped logos.

IAW/In association with
This means that the company who produced or distributed the program is working together with the company that follows that logo. Usually precedes a large television company such as 20th Century Fox Television, or appears on the top of the preceding logo such as Universal Television.

Ident/ID
A short sequence shown between programs on TV to identify the network.

In-credit logo
A logo that is seen at the beginning or end of movie and TV credits respectively. It can be just text or a symbol with text. E.g. The first T.A.T. Communications Company logo.

In-your-face animation
When a logo hurtles towards the screen at a very fast rate before coming to an abrupt stop when it gets larger in view. E.g. The second Viacom logo, Collideascope Digital Productions and 21st Century Film Corporation.

Moog
An analog synthesizer used in the 1960s and 1970s. Many logos from this era use these synthesizers, like the 1965 Screen Gems and WGBH logos.

Nickname
A name given to a certain logo by logo fans depending on how scary, cheesy, iconic, or annoying, etc. it is. E.g. "V of Doom", "Super Scary Face", "Bars of Boredom", "Plastering Castle", and "Treetown".

Open
A sequence used by theaters and television networks/stations before the showing of a feature film. Opens serve similar purposes to both idents (identifying the theater or television network/station) and feature presentation bumpers.

Out of print
This means that the video release which has a logo is no longer being produced.

Placeholder logo
A logo that is used on a show or video when the new one isn't quite ready yet. E.g. The Lorimar-Telepictures "Line Coaster" logo. Common characteristics of placeholder logos include the lack of animation (i.e., being a still logo), or if animation is present, it is very simple, basic or cheap. Placeholder logos are also used for a short timespan, usually a year or less.

Plaster
When a company deletes and/or replaces an older logo with either a newer logo from the same company, or a different company's logo. The latter can happen when a work changes distributors, especially if the original company has gone defunct. Sometimes this goes wrong which can have interesting results, such as newer logos appearing with an older logo's music or older logos being glimpsed for a brief moment before (or sometimes even after) the new logo jumps in.

Potato capture
When a logo gets captured using a camera from a TV, computer, or any related device rather than a converter or emulator.

Pre-cert
A term used to describe a prerecorded VHS or Betamax videotape (practically in the UK) issued prior to late 1985, when the 'Video Recordings Act 1984' was brought into law, introducing a system of classification on video releases.

Print logo
A logo seen on movie posters, box art, end of trailers, etc.

Prototype
An often rough, early version of a logo used on programs or videotapes prior to the introduction of the final version of the logo, usually seen only a few times before the final logo is introduced. E.g. The 1994 New Line Cinema logo.

Reverse plaster
When a logo gets plastered once but has the older logo put back on. As with normal plastering, this can go wrong with interesting results, such as older logos appearing with music from newer logos.

Scanimate
A computer system that produces video effects and animation for several movies, TV series, and logos, among other things. In the early 1980s, with the introduction of the Channel 4 logo, movies such as the Star Wars series, and the first computer animated music video (Dire Straits - Money for Nothing), etc., a new form of computer imagery became popular - CGI, thus making Scanimate units obsolete.

Split-screen credits
A credits style where the credits take up a portion of the screen, with the rest being occupied with either the final scene of the show or commercials. The logos usually follow the credits. The Nickelodeon networks were the most notable for using this style from mid-2000 until 2017, with the main Nick network discontinuing use in 2014. Other networks, such as Lifetime, Freeform, and AMC's movie airings also use this type of credits.

Superimposed
When a logo is embedded or burned into the opening of a film or in the closing credits. E.g. Some variations of the Warner-Seven Arts logo.

Telecine
When a filmed logo is transferred to videotape. E.g. The 1987 Touchstone Home Video logo.

TV movie
A film that is meant to be shown on television which runs as long as a standard cinematic film. They are usually made with a lower budget.

Vanity card
Another term for production logo. However, this term generally refers to the logos of independent television companies, which often have novelty qualities. They often denote a certain individual or group's involvement with a work.

Variant
A variation and/or update of an existing logo. This term generally refers to a version of a logo used repeatedly in distinct works.

Variation
In contrast to a variant, a version of a logo used as a one-off, typically made specifically for the film/show it appears on. For example, the Thank God It's Friday version of the Columbia Pictures logo in which the Torch Lady does a disco dance.

Video nasty
A term primarily used in the UK for controversial films made in the 1970s and 1980s and were distributed on video cassettes that were made before the "Video Recordings Act of 1984" (see Pre-cert) and were criticized for their violent and sexual content.

Videotaped
This means the logo was edited on videotape, and these logos tend to have a higher framerate and the quality is slightly better, compared to filmed logos.

Wasted logo
When a logo is used only a few, couple, or even no times within a short period of time before being replaced with a new one (or the company becomes defunct). E.g. The eighth Warner Bros. Pictures logo.