Networks mostly tweak existing looks for 2022 State of the Union

On Tuesday, March 1, 2022, President Joe Biden will give his first State of the Union address and broadcast and cable networks have been 

NBC and MSNBC are using a look that’s inspired by the design the networks rolled out in 2021 for coverage of Biden’s inauguration.

It was also used for the 2021 joint address Biden gave to Congress shortly after taking office in lieu of one typically titled the State of the Union.

While the reference to the stylized “46” was only used for the inauguration, the same general look retains much of the same foundation, including the white background and stripe and star accents.

The design does drop the rather generic sans serif typeface for the title, instead setting the words “State of the Union” in the typeface previously used for the 46. Additional typography appears to be set in Proxima.

Meanwhile, the presidential seal, another prominent element in the inauguration look, is featured inside of the blue State of the Union text with a sort of radial gradient treatment.

According to key art it has released CBS News has updated its look to better align with the new graphics on its streaming network as well as on “CBS Mornings,” “Face the Nation,” most news division promos and, most recently, its special report look.

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The design features a glassy rendition of the presidential seal in a circle (a common shape used throughout CBS News looks) with “State of the Union” in a condensed typeface similar to what’s used in the “Face the Nation” logo and in the network’s 2020 election look and “and the republican response” line below it in what appears to be TT Norms.

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Later, CBS would release promos that show the same look but with red accents added in.

The promo also uses horizontal animations along with what appears to be the inside of the Capitol Rotunda to form a circular background before transitioning to the seal.

ABC News appears poised to use a familiar look for its coverage as well, with the title of the speech set in its distinctive font and the negative space of the “A” in “State” replaced with the striped star icon it often uses for political and election coverage.

The text features a gradient fill, another common look for the network, along with a red bar for the notation about the republication response.

Also included is a dark blue background with blue tinted photo of the Capitol and faded rings of the seal.

CNN is also sticking to its typical political promo look — promoting coverage, which notably will not be anchored by Wolf Blitzer but rather Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, with the red, white and black typography heavy design with excitable announcer.

It appears Fox will be using the foundation of the “Democracy 2020” look  it introduced ahead of the 2020 election, with a 3D model of the Capitol taking center stage.

However, the typography and bar and star elements featured in the key art provided by the network show a bit more glassy motif, a look that’s becoming more prevalent on the network and was featured in several recent redesigns and new show graphics packages, including “The Ingraham Angle,” “Justice with Judge Jeanine” and “Jesse Watters Primetime.”

There’s also the use of a sans serif typeface that appears to be Trajan for the word “address” in the red bar below the main title text as well as a light gold hue to the sides and borders of various 3D elements.

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Spanish language Telemundo brought back its tan and beige palette used in 2021 but retitled it with “El Estado de la Nación” (“The State of the Nation”).

The speech commonly referred to as the State of the Union is typically delivered in January or February of non-inauguration years.

On those years, the president typically delivers an address to Congress around that same time but it isn’t typically labeled as the SOTU. Last year’s address was pushed back to April due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Constitution does not officially lay out any requirements about when or how often the president should address both houses of Congress or what that address is officially called.