Every new Eurovision Song Contest begins with the unveiling of its logo and slogan. The BBC has confirmed that the theme of the 2023 Contest will be “United by Music.”
The new slogan celebrates the extraordinary ability of music to bring people together and highlights the special cooperation between the United Kingdom and Ukraine as well as the host city Liverpool in bringing the 2023 Contest to audiences throughout the world. It’s also a nod to the competition’s roots as an initiative to unite Europeans through a common television experience.
The style of the vibrant, larger brand highlights this shared cultural experience as “millions of hearts beat as one,” referencing the estimated 160 million spectators from last year. The vibrant and varied palette of the contest’s official merchandise was inspired by the flags of Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
The typeface used is called Penny Lane, and it was designed to pay homage to Liverpool’s musical history and the cast-iron street signs of the twentieth century that featured the city’s street names.
The new brand, which was developed through a collaboration between the UK’s Superunion agency and the Ukraine’s Starlight Creative, will make its debut on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer at 7 p.m. on January 31 as part of a programme called “Handover and Allocation Draw.” The relationship exemplifies the importance of teamwork both in front of and behind the camera.
St. George’s Hall and the Liverpool sign at Liverpool ONE are among the major landmarks that will be rebranded this week in preparation for a citywide rollout in April.
Martin Green CBE, Managing Director, Eurovision Song Contest 2023, BBC says: “The 2023 Eurovision Song Contest will be a truly special event and the creative look is a big part of creating that magic. This year’s identity sums up perfectly the amazing partnerships across the Contest and more importantly the power of music to bring people together across the world.”
Superunion’s Executive Creative Director, Stuart Radford and Creative Director, Katherina Tudball says: “We are thrilled to create the 67th Eurovision Song Contest visual identity in partnership with Ukrainian agency, Starlight, and the BBC. For this year’s theme, United By Music, our solution was inspired by research showing that when experiencing live music together, human hearts synchronise to beat in unison. This insight led to the creative concept of 160 million hearts beating as one, an idea that captures the universal spirit of Eurovision.”
Olena Martynova, CEO, Starlight Creative comments: “Creativity and music both have the power to unite and inspire. We are so proud to be part of the creative concept for such an important musical event when more than ever, we need to come together as a global community. For Starlight, it is an opportunity to represent Ukraine on an international stage, showcase our creative and musical ability, and create something that honours our strength and the power of unity.”
Eurovisioncast
Today also sees the launch of the BBC’s Eurovision podcast, Eurovisioncast, made by the team behind hit podcasts Newscast and Ukrainecast. Turning their attention to the biggest music contest in the world are the four hosts: Eurovision winner Måns Zelmerlöw; Eurovision fan, BBC Breakfast’s Nina Warhurst; BBC News’ Eurovision Reporter Daniel Rosney and Radio Merseyside presenter, Liverpudlian Ngunan Adamu. Eurovisioncast will bring the inside gossip on plans and unique insights on the competition. Listeners will also hear from former contestants, those set to take part in the 2023 Contest and celebrity fans. The first episode of the weekly podcast is available now on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio Merseyside.