Apple TV debuts vibrant rainbow logo animation with Finneas-composed mnemonic following rebrand

Apple has unveiled a colorful new animated logo for its streaming service, featuring a rainbow design that marks a significant visual departure from its previous branding.

The animation, which displays a multi-colored Apple TV wordmark with dynamic motion graphics, is accompanied by a custom sonic signature composed by Grammy and Oscar winner Finneas.

The new visual identity centers on a kaleidoscopic logo animation that transforms the familiar Apple aesthetic into more dynamic and playful. The rainbow-colored treatment pulses and shifts throughout the brief sequence, creating what Apple describes as a “vibrant new identity” for the service.

The animation was created entirely in camera using practical special effects with no CG using reflect, color and light.

“We partnered with Apple TV to reimagine its brand from the ground up, creating a system that blends sound, motion, and craft into something unmistakably Apple, yet distinctly Apple TV,” wrote TBWA\Media Arts Lab, who worked on the project along with, Optical Arts, TRAFIK, Racket Club, Aron Forbes and Epilogue Inc.

“Built from real glass and captured entirely in camera, the new identity explores reflection, color, and light to express the cinematic spirit at the heart of Apple TV. Every shimmer was made for real, no CG shortcuts, a nod to Apple’s belief that craft should be felt, not faked.”

This visual rebrand coincides with the company’s decision to drop the plus sign from Apple TV+, simplifying to just Apple TV.

View on Giphy

The sonic branding, which Apple refers to as a mnemonic, consists of three distinct versions tailored for different viewing contexts.

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The main version runs five seconds and plays before television episodes, while a one-second “sting” accompanies movie trailers and production company logos. A longer 12-second version will appear in theaters before Apple Studios films.

Finneas noted in an interview with Variety that the composition started at piano as he built layers using zinc percussion reversed in post-production, backwards piano recordings and bass synthesizers pitched and glided to create the unique, minimalist sound. 

 The overall goal of the new sonic brand is to create “a completely original sound that feels cinematic and magical, serving as a welcoming invitation for viewers to enter the world of Apple Originals.”

Apple quietly announced the change from Apple TV+ to Apple TV in an October press release about its F1 movie starring Brad Pitt. 

Apple’s “This is just the beginning” tagline accompanying the rebrand announcement suggests further changes may be coming to the service. According to Finneas, Apple executives described the rebrand as part of efforts to “simplify” the streaming service, though specific future plans remain unannounced.