The Retequattro television channel was founded on 4 January 1982 by Arnoldo Mondadori, the owner of the publishing house of the same name. However, in 1984, the network was acquired by Fininvest, the company owned by Silvio Berlusconi; since then Retequattro has been managed as part of the Mediaset group. Over the years it has offered generalist programming aimed at a varied audience with particular attention to cinema, TV series, information, entertainment and sport.

In its first steps Retequattro was accompanied by the artistic direction of Enzo Tortora; her intervention was to find a specific target for the network by deciding to aim mainly at the female audience through the proposal of telenovelas. In 1982 the first logo was created, designed by the Arcoquattro design group, which consisted of a slanted capital “R”, colored yellow with the number 4 inside it. However, in certain contexts, to facilitate readability on different media, shadows were added to the logo.

Subsequently the network expanded its offering by introducing news and information programmes. Some telenovelas were cut out and Tg4 was presented for the first time. In 1991 the logo was modified: we started from the shaded version already widespread in previous years with further attention to contrast. The iconic yellow color was maintained but stronger shadows were added to provide a more three-dimensional effect.

Over the years the network faced various criticisms; however, it continued to maintain a solid presence in the Italian television scene. In 1999 a new logo was designed, created by the London company English & Pockett: it was characterized by the orange color and the straightening of the graphic sign. This is the longest running logo of the television channel. From 2001 onwards Retequattro based a large part of its programming on transversal target broadcasts and shows with a more journalistic predisposition.

Nel 2018, durante la trasmissione del talk show politico “Stasera Italia”, Retequattro presentò l’identità visiva con un nuovo marchio. Il rebrand è stato realizzato dall’agenzia milanese Monkey Talkie con l’eliminazione della “R” che venne sostituita da un cerchio con il numero 4 al suo interno. Il cambiamento avvenne non solo per un fatto estetico ma anche contenutistico: una serie di nuove produzioni interne, volte a coprire la maggior parte delle prime serate con pura informazione.