NBC Nightly News has introduced a new graphics package for its broadcast on June 20, 2023. While most of the new look has remained the same on the second day, there were some tweaks made, including the breaking news video wall graphic which now features a more vibrant shade of red. The boxed breaking news icon that appears briefly on the video wall before transitioning to the full-wall imagery has also been enlarged, which adds emphasis to the breaking news branding. The overuse of the breaking news tag prompted the former CEO of CNN to issue an edict to reduce the network’s use of the term and its breaking news stinger.
There also appears to be an odd shadow effect added to the lower part of both the full show logo and breaking news graphic situated above the empty anchor desk. It is likely that this approach, which is common in broadcast design, was leveraged to help improve the legibility of text placed on top of photographs. However, it’s possible that the shadow was intended to reduce the reflection of the breaking news text on the glassy surface of the anchor desk as it appears to line up almost entirely with the portion of the screen where the two elements meet.
The tweaks made in the second day of the new graphics package could be due to viewer feedback or decisions made by producers or executives after reviewing the debut broadcast. Nevertheless, even after extensive testing, adjustments can still be made to improve the graphics package. NBC Nightly News last updated its video wall graphics in 2021, where the blue background behind anchor Lester Holt initially featured brown-gold outlines of the show’s logotype but was later removed in Day 2.
