CNN.com tweaks navigation bar

CNN has rolled out a slight update to its website header.

The changes, which rolled out in October 2024, include eliminating both the red box behind the white CNN logo and the black bar across the top of the page that provides key navigational links.

The CNN website using the old navigation bar.

Instead, the bar is now white with a shadow effect used to separate it from the rest of the page. 

Links still give users access to key parts of the site, while icons have been added to the “watch,” “listen” and “Live TV” links. The “subscribe” button that was added after the Oct. 1, 2024, announcement that the network would begin selling $3.99-a-month subscriptions, remains red and is perhaps more visible now thanks to the better contrast between its and the white background.

The reversed CNN logo inside a red square has been a mainstay of the CNN website for years now, so switching to the red-on-white look is a notable departure.

CNN has notably been using red squares at the end of promos to highlight that its content is available on a variety of platforms, including CNN Max. Placing the logo in a box gives it an icon-like feel that likely helps drive home the non-linear ways to connect with the brand.

Removing the red box background does, in other ways, actually make the network’s brand better. The logo appears in red against a white background on the network’s domestic feed (it’s reversed on the CNN International feed). It also appears as red on many of the networks other graphics as well as select on-set logo installations.

Overall, the new design also makes the navigation feel slightly more cohesive, though some designers likely would argue that having it in black helped it stand out better.

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The new navigation bar continues to use the network’s proprietary CNN Sans font in what appears to be a slightly bolder weight.