‘United by Music’- BBC unveils Eurovision Song Contest 2023 visual identity

One of the first steps in bringing each Eurovision Song Contest to life is the reveal of its visual identity and slogan.

The BBC has today announced the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest is set to be truly ‘United by Music’.

The new slogan demonstrates the unique partnership between the UK, Ukraine and host city Liverpool to bring the 2023 Contest to audiences across the globe and the incredible power of music to bring communities together.

It also reflects the very origins of the contest, developed to bring Europe closer together through a shared TV experience across different countries.

With over 160 million viewers watching last year, the look of the vibrant, wider identity celebrates this shared cultural experience as ‘millions of hearts beat as one’. Inspired by the Ukrainian and UK flags, the colours used are designed to reflect the joy and diversity of the contest.

The typeface used is called ‘Penny Lane’, inspired by the twentieth-century cast-iron signs displaying Liverpool street names and a nod to the city’s rich musical heritage. 

Designed through a creative partnership between Superunion agency in the UK and Ukrainian creative studio Starlight Creative, the new brand will first be seen by viewers during the Handover and Allocation Draw programme from 1900 on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer (Jan 31) . This partnership demonstrates how the show will be made by collaborations on and off camera.

In Liverpool, the iconic St George’s Hall and the ‘Liverpool’ sign at Liverpool ONE will be dressed in the brand this week before it’s rolled out wider across the city in April.

Martin Green CBE, Managing Director, Eurovision Song Contest 2023, BBC:

“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 said:

“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”. 

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 weekly podcast is available now on BBC Sounds and will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio Merseyside.

Find out more about Eurovision 2023 here.