A New Era, a New Mark for CML

The Center for Media Literacy (CML) is pleased and proud to introduce its new corporate identity, designed and generously contributed by James Robie Design Associates.

This identity reflects the Center’s mission for the 21st Century: Educating children and adults for living and learning in a global media world. "We are thrilled to have this opportunity to mark a new era in the development of the media literacy field," said Elizabeth Thoman, CML’s Founder and President. "It is now time for media literacy to take its place in our educational and media institutions, as well as in the minds and hearts of people everywhere. Media literacy is a true foundation for maintaining our democratic ideals and freedoms, and CML’s new identity captures the spirit of this empowerment."

The introduction of the corporate identity also marks a propitious time for CML, which was incorporated as a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 1989 and is the largest distributor of media literacy resources in the U.S. "Not only are we developing our capacity to communicate through our website, but we are also strengthening the infrastructure of our organization," said Executive Director Tessa Jolls."Our board of directors is providing a strong base; we are upgrading our business systems and improving our ability to provide training services and educational resources."

The new mark speaks for itself — and, as one of CML’s five "core concepts of media literacy states: "Different audiences understand the same media message differently." This inherent ambiguity is understood and championed by James Robie, who has designed images for many organizations, including the Los Angeles Convention Center and the J. Paul Getty Trust. "A hallmark of a strong logo is that it evokes a multitude of emotions and meanings; then, the logo makes a memorable and effective graphic statement," Robie said. "Our work is grounded in classic principles of design, emphasizing clarity, legibility and communication. Hype is not our style – simplicity, unpretentiousness, and honesty is more like it."