Peacock logo (1986-present)

Current logo created by Chermayeff & Geismarused since 1986

On May 12, 1986, during a broadcast of the NBC 60th Anniversary Celebration, NBC stars of past and present stood on stage to introduce a new logo. The arranged marriage of N and Peacock ended and "The Bird" finally assumed its official place as NBC's symbol. The peacock's head was now flipped to the right to suggest it was looking forward, not back. The eleven feathers from its previous peacock logo was shortened to six to reference NBC's six divisions at that time: News, Sports, Entertainment, Stations, Network and Productions. Incorporating the six primary and secondary colors, this Peacock, redesigned by Chermayeff & Geismar, remains one of the world's most recognized logos. The network maintains specific guidelines for the logo, including proper colors for reproduction, using either RGB, CMYK or Pantone colors. The usage guidelines are contained in the NBC Logo Legal Usage Guidelines which is distributed to NBC employees involved in graphics as well as outside vendors, such as advertising agencies, who may need to use the logo.^[7]

Almost all of NBC's affiliates added the new peacock to their logo but a few still kept the old peacock on their logo for a few months after the logo's introduction. The new logo was adopted universally on September 1, 1986. A rare variant, that incorporated the General Electric logo and Univers font of its branding identity appeared on air a few times during 1986 and 1987. The logo/ID had the NBC logo with the words "Proud to be a part of" in the Univers font and the GE logo.

The logo first appeared as an on-screen bug in the 1993–1994 television season, appearing only at the beginning of shows and staying on throughout shows since the 1995–1996 television season. From 1993 to 2003, the logo appeared on the bottom of the screen and a variety of effects resulting in its formation, usually during a show's opening sequence. These effects alone centered in the middle of the screen continue to be used as a sort of screensaver during network commercial breaks during local time, and can be seen on an NBC affiliate when it has technical difficulties going to their local advertising and keeps the network feed on-screen.