AT&T Mobility

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

AT&T Mobility LLC, also known as AT&T Wireless (formerly Cingular Wireless) and marketed as simply AT&T, is an American telecommunications company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T Inc. and provides wireless services in the United States. AT&T Mobility is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, with 241.5 million subscribers as of the end of Q4 2023.



1st Logo (2007-2009)


Visuals:

  • Startup: A blue bar moves horizontally on a black background, bringing up five signal bars. The background then changes into white, as the signal lines expand and curve into the right and then spin out into the forming AT&T logo while the sphere forms around it. "at&t" moves from the left at the bottom.
  • Shutdown: There is the AT&T logo on the white background with the sphere spinning. The five signal bars then spin in quickly at the front as the logo fades out. The background turns black and the bars shrink as a blue turning off effect appears off-center.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio:

  • Startup: A jet-style whooshing sound.
  • Shutdown: Another whooshing sound, this time in the style of a "turning off" effect.

Audio Variants:

  • On some low-spec devices, no sounds are heard.
  • In several devices, the default startup or shutdown sound of the manufacturer (like Samsung) is heard playing with the animation.

Availability: Seen on some non-3G AT&T-branded mobile phones from the period.

2nd Logo (2007-2010)


Visuals: Same as the Cingular 3G startup and shutdown, except the Cingular logo is swapped with the AT&T one. In the shutdown, the "Good bye" text may be different.

Variants:

  • In some devices, the AT&T logo in shrunk (sometimes into a horizontal line) and the text "World Phone" is shown below.
    • An open matte version of this is seen on HP iPAQ models.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the Cingular 3G startup and shutdown. The single whoosh from the previous logo can be heard in a few devices.

Availability: Seen on AT&T-branded mobile phones from the period.

3rd Logo (2009-2014)


Visuals: Over a white background, multiple colored droplets in blue, orange and green drop out into the center, forming the bars of the AT&T sphere as they change into blue. The base of the sphere fades in, and the slogan "Rethink Possible" with the trademark gradually wipes in below.

Technique: CGI.

Audio:

  • Startup: Earlier devices used the whooshing sounds from the previous logos. Later on in 2010, a shortened version of the Firefly ringtone was used.
  • Shutdown: The whooshing shutdown sounds from the previous logos in earlier devices.

Availability: Same as the second AT&T logo.

4th Logo (2010)

Visuals: There is an orange background with the AT&T sphere logo and "WORLD PHONE" below.

Technique: A still, digital graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on some AT&T-branded BlackBerry mobile phones.

5th Logo (2014-2015)


Visuals: The AT&T logo is spinning over a white background.

Technique: Basic 3D animation.

Audio: Same as the third AT&T logo.

Availability: Seen on AT&T-branded mobile phones from the period.

6th Logo (2015-)


Visuals: Over a black background, a blue circle grows in from the center, and curved lines cut out from it, forming the recent AT&T sphere design.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A guitar rearrangement of the Firefly ringtone. Composed by Made Music Studio.

Availability: Seen on some recent AT&T-branded mobile phones.

Cingular Wireless
AT&T Mobility