TTT already lost, before they even ran the race as new logo leaves country disappointed.

Rebecca Brooker
Sep 1, 2018 · 6 min read

By Rebecca Brooker

13 years ago, Trinidad and Tobago’s beloved local television network signed off the air at midnight, for what would be the last of TTT (Trinidad and Tobago Television) as we know it. With it, went some of our favorite childhood classics — 12 and Under, Mastana Bahar, Scouting For Talent, Panorama, Calabash Alley and several other locally produced television shows that expressed the true culture of our twin islands.

The original and iconic TTT logo, established in 1962.

For over thirty years, TTT served as a pillar for cultural media, having been established just a week before Trinidad and Tobago gained Independence in 1962. It’s iconic logo, three lowercase t’s with the crossbars overlapping one another, was held close and dear to the hearts of many citizens. In 2005, when TTT announced it’s departure from television, the country was left heartbroken. TTT’s brand loyalty was amongst the highest of local brands, this reputation being gained from both it’s attention to diverse cultural programming and the fact that it was the only television station until 1991, making it widely available to everyone in the two islands on local channels 2 and 13.

Let’s fast forward to 2018 for a minute, we’ll come back to the history lesson later. The Honorable Prime Minister Keith Rowley announces that the government will rebrand local network CNMG (Caribbean New Media Group) as TTT Ltd, in an effort to combat ‘fake news’ in the country, along with the fact that CNMG was no longer profitable. (Let’s add that to the list of failed state-run businesses eg. Caroni 1975, Clico, Petrotrin etc) With the hopes that TTT’s brand reputation will still be in tact a decade later, the government unveils the new and improved, Trinidad and Tobago Television with a new identity and a new vision for Trinidad and Tobago. In an effort to appeal to the younger millennial generation, TTT executives stated that the network will now become a platform for young entrepreneurs and an established home for talented personalities. Elated citizens anticipated the relaunch of the brand but were severely disappointed in what was delivered.

TTT’s new logo, launched in July 1980 — sorry I meant 2018

The network’s new logo left local designers and citizens alike in shock, wondering what really took place behind the concept, execution and approval of the final product. Three awkwardly stacked red T’s — which could be mistaken for 7’s — sit flatly on top of an oversized fake metallic silver play button. With wide stems and narrow, elongated crossbars strangely pulled to the left of the letters, the T’s lose both their form and integrity, leaning awkwardly on their sides as if they’ve just stumbled down Ariapita Avenue on Independence night after $5 Caribs all day. A matching metallic silver stroke appears on the left side of the letters, fading into red on the right. An extremely large play button lays behind the sloppy typography, meeting the letters at uncomfortable angles and points of tension. Colored in a default Adobe Illustrator silver metallic gradient, it almost resembles the silver plate upon which a paycheck was delivered for this ****. And to top it off, the government has high hopes that the new TTT will retain it’s brand loyalty from years past — with a logo that looks like it was exhumed from Lapeyrouse Cemetery.

A designer’s opinion on just a couple of the major flaws of the new identity.

To better understand why the original and iconic TTT logo meant so much to our nation, we must look at the history and time period within which TTT was born. The birth of TTT signaled the end of an era of British colonization — as the Union Jack was lowered in Woodford Square, Port of Spain, and replaced with our beloved national flag. TTT served as a window to the new Republic of Trinidad and Tobago for thousands of citizens across the country. As the newborn nation of Trinidad and Tobago grew up to be the woman she is today (I won’t go into descriptions about what TYPE of woman she is…), TTT stood by our sides and held our hands, giving us a safe place to retreat to local culture and talent. We felt connected to each other, one way or another, through the shared love for our local network. Saturday mornings were for cartoons and cereal, while other nights of the week were reserved exclusively for watching Aunty Hazel on 12 and Under.

The station broadcasted live the first ever Independence Day Parade on August 31 1962, color television programming was introduced in 1977, and TTT even launched a sister station in 1983. Furthermore, ask any Trinidadian and they will tell you that the most important moment in the history of TTT was its role in the July 1990 attempted coup. When 72 Jamaat al Muslimeen members stormed the network’s headquarters, they held employees hostage and demanded to go live on the air in order to inform the nation that they were now in control. Citizens flocked to their televisions for information from their trusted and only news source, which had now been compromised by these bandits. The Jamaat leader, Yasin Abu Bakr appeared on every television screen in Trinidad and Tobago informing the nation that they had overthrown the government and to stay calm. So now you have a little clearer picture as to why there is deep emotional attachment to the old TTT brand — history that just CANNOT be ignored or replaced. A history that should be honored and revived in order to achieve the current government’s goals of instilling citizen’s faith in the country’s image. It’s sad to say that they’ve already failed before they even began.

We, the citizens, have a few questions regarding this matter:

Who did this?

Why?

Was research conducted?

How much did this project cost?

How much of that budget was put towards assessing the equity of the old TTT brand?

Was anyone consulted on this?

Who approved the concept and signed off on the execution?

Is there a brand book that backs this identity up?

Why didn’t we redraw the iconic logo?

Why didn’t we update and refresh the iconic logo?

Why couldn’t we gracefully age 1962 TTT into 2018, instead of this blast from the past?

With one of the major rebrand goals being to attract young, vibrant and energetic talent to the network, who thought this would deliver on that?

Or did somebody just email the file named “ttt-new-butold-finalFINAL.jpg” to Minister Maxie Cuffie and say “Yeah bai, we good there”.

Listen — I know we can argue about a lot of things in our country these days and you’ll say this is just another one. But you’re right — this is just another one that we will let slide under the rug. Someone. Got. Paid. For. This. A lot of money too, probably. As citizens, it is our duty and responsibility to hold them (the agency) and our elected officials accountable to higher standards than this. If there were a higher level of transparency and management surrounding state-owned businesses, we wouldn’t find ourselves in this repetitive mess every 3–4 years.

In 2018, is this the level of work that we’re satisfied with? This is really what the taxpayers will look at and say, “Well, I see how my money was spent and I’m happy with that.”

No. This is unacceptable. And if you do find it acceptable, then you’re not paying enough attention to what’s going on our country and where your hard earned money is going. I am calling on the agency that produced the work to come forth showcasing proof of concept, research and exploration into the rebrand to provide context for how we’ve ended up here.

Aunty Hazel would be rolling in her grave.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade