Agency for Instructional Technology

Credits

Descriptions by
Reactor37654, Cody E., Nathan B., Camenati, and Lappy4861

Captures by
HannahBrownfan2006 and Camenati

Video captures courtesy of
Jonathan Hendricks, Lizz Tetlow, and Jonty's Logo Archive

Background

On July 1, 1984, The National Instructional Television Library' would slightly change its name to the Agency for Instructional Technology, to reflect other uses to electronically distribute instructional material, such as via videocassette and computer. AIT closed in 2015, and its archives and corporate files have since been moved to the Indiana University Libraries' Moving Image Archive.

1st Logo (1973-1983)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Visuals: On a black background, a stylized, multicolored "at" (which are connected to each other and are made up of 2 lines sandwiching 3 smaller lines) zooms out from the center of the screen, starting out blurry but gets clearer. Once it reaches the center of the screen, the text "agency for instructional television", with a copyright stamp above "agency", appears below. The text is written in a rounded yellow font.

Variants:

• An all-white version of the logo exists with no animation, an expanded copyright stamp, and a different font for "Agency for Instructional Television", which is also capitalized properly.
• On Trade Offs, the "at" is already in place.
• On Wordsmith, the above version is used without a copyright stamp and a bigger "at". The announcer also says "The following program is from AIT."
• On Check It Out, the logo briefly takes up the whole screen before zooming out to reveal "Under the Direction of" above it, a copyright date below it, and also "Agency for Instructional Television" and it's former address. All of it in white Times New Roman font. It doesn't have an announcer.

Technique: Zooming effects.

Audio: The show's end theme as an announcer says, "Under the supervision of AIT, Agency for Instructional Television". A ding is heard when the copyright stamp appears.

Availability: Seen on programs of the period, such as Self Incorporated. The white version appeared on Check It Out, Wordsmith, and Bread & Butterflies.

2nd Logo (April 2, 1979-1980)

• 
• 

Visuals:

• Opening: On a lavender background, many spinning multicolored maps of English-speaking North America (Canada and the United States) intersect with each other. The continent then turns white with outlines for the states and provinces (minus Nunavut, which would not secede from the Northwest Territories until 1999). Several of them then get filled in with orange as a spinning yellow "at" (in the same design as the second logo, but made with 2 solid stripes) comes from the top right of the screen. The logo then disappears via giant stripes wiping away the logo. It then cuts into the show intro of the time.
• Closing (Thinkabout): The Thinkabout logo in yellow with a pale purple glow zooms out with multiple copies in orange and yellow, segueing into the logo animation as normal.

Variants:

• A filmed version exists. The transition time from the Thinkabout logo to the spinning North Americas is shortened in the closing variant.
• Sometimes, the "at" is orange instead of yellow.

Technique: Scanimation.

Audio:

• Opening: The opening theme to the show (Thinkabout, one of the only shows known to carry this logo, has a theme that starts off with a chime scale backed by a ride cymbal, and as the map turns white, a synth "thud" can be heard, with synths, piano, and drums playing throughout the logo. The chimes restart after the announcer finishes his line.) with an announcer saying, "The following is from a cooperative project for acquiring skills essential to learning".
• Closing: At the end of the show, the announcer says, "[NAME OF THE SHOW] is supported by state and provincial agencies working through the Agency for Instructional Television. Together... serving education.". The chorus line of the theme song plays as the announcer says this; once the states fill with orange, a chime scale accompanied by a musical scale that loops until it reaches the closing theme is used.

Audio Variants:

• On some episodes of Thinkabout, the announcer would be absent.
• On On The Level, the announcer is different and says "The following cooperative project is supported by state and provincial agencies working through the Agency for Instructional Television."

Availability: It can likely be seen on AIT's long out-of-print DVDs of the obscure series Thinkabout; it also appeared on On The Level.

3rd Logo (September 1, 1982-1985)

• 
• 
• 

Visuals: On a black background, the same "at" from the 1st logo in blue appears and spins out, while moving back. When it stops just above the center of the screen, a copyright date appears in Courier, with "agency for instructional television" appearing in the same rounded font as the 1st logo, but in white.

Variants:

• On Math Works, the logo was updated for the name change a year earlier, featuring a plain white Helvetica font for the new copyright tag, which wipes in downwards. The announcer, who's now female, also says the updated name as well.
• A rare variant has the logo zoomed out to the upper left section of the screen, with a pale gold map of the continental map from the previous logo (minus Canada) filling in the remaining space. The tagline "TOGETHER... SERVING EDUCATION" in the middle of the screen.

Technique: Spinning effects.

Audio: Just the show's end theme (or none) as an announcer says, "Under the supervision of the Agency for Instructional Television".

Availability: It was seen at the end of early episodes of It Figures before being replaced with the next logo. However, it was revived to be used on Math Works. Its unknown what programs had the map variant.

4th Logo (September 1, 1982-1987)

• 
• 

Visuals: On a black background, multicolored states and provinces zoom out of the screen in rapid succession to form North America from the previous logo. Once they all settle into place, the familiar "at" in white zooms out from the top right of the screen, leaving a white trail. After that, North America flashes and turns green, and the "at" also fades to green while gaining a white outline. "Together" fades in to the right, 3 dots appear to the right of it, and then "serving education." fades in.

Variants:

• On Principles of Technology, the logo for the Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD) zooms out to the bottom left shortly after the AIT logo.
• A short version has the logo start when "Together" is onscreen.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: A synthesized harpsichord tune plays throughout the forming of the states, playing a medieval-esque melody. Loud synth whirs then start to play as the logo zooms out, and then an whoosh for the map flashing. Additional synth tunes are then heard, and 3 quick popping sounds are also heard when the 3 dots between "Together" and "serving education" appear. An male announcer reads "The following has been developed by state and provincial agencies in association with the Agency for Instructional Television. Together... serving education."

Audio Variants:

• Most of the time, the announcer does not sync up with the words appearing.
• Starting July 1, 1984, a female or child announcer says the same message above, but says "Agency for Instructional Technology" instead, since AIT changed its name to its current one on that day.
• Principles of Technology uses a different announcer saying a slightly different version of the spiel, which goes as "A project of state and provincial, vocational, and technical educational agencies in association with the Agency for Instructional Technology and the Center for Occupational Research and Development. Together... serving education."

Availability: Several programs from this period are still distributed by AIT (and are still being aired as part of the instructional television schedules on public TV stations in some areas); this can be considered rare. Principles of Technology is one such show, as well as later episodes of It Figures.

5th Logo (1983-1988)

Visuals: On a bluish-grey background with embedded drawings on a TV, disc, computer, satellite, video tape, and antenna (in a clockwise order), 6 different clips flip in on a descending slopes one-by-one, playing for a second before freezing, in the following order:

• A classroom full of children and a teacher, who leans over to turn on a TV.
• A kid with a coat extracting some liquid from a beaker, with the help of another person next to him.
• An animated sequence showcasing basic multiplication.
• A kid instructing other children with what's on a computer.
• A steam train rolling along in a grassy plain.
• Several kids dancing on a stage.

After all the clips appear, the text "agency for instructional television", in the rounded corporate font at the time colored dark blue, fades in below them, and the clips all flip down to make room for the rounded blue letters "ait" to fade in one-by-one. They compress together and, with a flash of light, form a giant dark blue version of the logo. The logo shines with 2 diagonal bars of light.

Technique: Live-action (with one cel animated) for the clips, and 2D computer animation for the rest.

Audio: A series of beeps play throughout as an ascending 11-note synth drone theme. A "whoosh" plays on the final 3 notes. An female announcer says "The following is from the Agency for Instructional Technology, AIT."

Availability: Seen on some episodes of Drawing with Paul Ringler and You, Me, and Technology.

6th Logo (September 1987-1993)

• 
• 
• 

Visuals: On a black background, an outline of the usual North America zooms out to the center of the screen, leaving a blue light trail in the process which then retracts into the outline when the logo finishes zooming out. White outlines of the states and provinces are drawn on the map as well as an outline of Hawaii appearing below California. The states and provinces then light up in many different colors in rapid succession. A blue "at" (a slightly different design, although it still has the same shape) appears from the top right of the screen and zooms out northeast of the North America. The "at" "shines", while the outline of North America disappears. The logo fades slightly while the text, "Together... Programming for Today's Learner" zooms out from the bottom of the screen to the middle ("Together..." wipes in instead). The "at" shines again.

Variants:

• On Geography in the U.S. History, the outline only consists of the continental USA, Alaska (though without its islands), and Hawaii. The logo is now also higher and located closer to the center (and doesn't shine), and the text is now computer-generated in a bold Arial font. The announcer now comes in later, sounding to have a younger tone to them, and omits "and provincial" due to the obvious lack of Canada.
• A Spanish variant exists, with the yellow text "Juntas... planeando para el que hoy dia aprende" ("Together ... planning for the one who learns today") under the "Together... Programming for Today's Learner" text.

Technique: CGI animation by Sanders & Company.

Audio: A synthesized tune with violins with an announcer saying, "The following has been developed by state and provincial education agencies in association with the Agency for Instructional Technology. Together... programming for today's learner".

Audio Variant: A variant with no announcer exists.

Availability: Some older AIT programs with this version of the AIT logo, such as Amigos, are still in use by some public TV stations so this may make an occasional appearance. The announcer-less variant appears on a demo reel from Sanders & Company.

7th Logo (September 1987-1991)

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Visuals: On a black-dark blue gradient background, the "at" from the previous logos and "Agency for Instructional Technology" zoom out from the left and slide from the right respectively. Before stopping when near each other, the copyright notice reading "©Agency For Instructional Technology (year)" fades in underneath.

Variants:

• On Global Geography, the logo is blue and set to a black background.
  • A Spanish version of this variant exists, having the top text reading "Realizado por AIT."
• On Geography in U.S. History, the logo is white.
• On Your Choice Our Chance, the logo is white and on a solid blue background.
• On a demo reel from Samden & Company, the logo has a copyright date of 1987. Also, the logo stays on screen for longer than usual.

Technique: CGI animation, like before, done by Sanders & Company.

Audio: Three synth notes followed by a set of ascending twinkling notes. Otherwise, it's the ending theme of the program.

Audio Variant: Sometimes, an announcer accompanies this logo, saying "The following program is from AIT".

Availability: It was seen on some episodes of Amigos and Global Geography, as well as Econ and Me and Geography in U.S. History. Like the opening version, the announcer-less variant appears on the aforementioned demo reel.

8th Logo (1992?-2015)

• 
• 
• 

Visuals: Against a black background, there is a dark image of North America surrounded by a blue aura turning to face the camera (white outlines of the states and provinces are also shown on the map). As this happens, a bluish rectangle with rounded corners flips around, and the letters "AIT" in a white futuristic font with a line going through the center flip around and stop right on the rectangle. The map shines as the words:

AGENCY FOR
INSTRUCTIONAL
TECHNOLOGY

slide out from the left of the rectangle. "Together...Serving Education" sometimes swivels into view while zooming out.

Technique: Modern computer graphics.

Audio: A piano/synth horn fanfare, sometimes with an announcer saying "A presentation of AIT".

Availability: Probably the easiest to find, as it's AIT's longest running logo and more commonly seen.

◄ National Instructional Television

Agency for Instructional Technology