Branding the BBC

I happened to stumble across this on Vimeo and thought I'd dip in and out, but ended up watching the whole thing (40mins). It's a fascinating insight to some of the behind the scenes thinking behind some of Lambie-Nairn BBC work and is well worth a watch

http://vimeo.com/6963675

I find it rather amusing in Martins obvious dislike of the 2002 refresh (not even showing the dancers!)

Thoughts and discussion welcomed.

I thought it was fascinating!

I was hoping for a bit more on the idea generation for the various identities, but hearing how the rebrand came about in the first place was great.

A superb video. Great to hear how the new branding came about.

Seen that video before, but I think NOS's look and music for Journaal is still pretty nice.

I have to say I'm with Martin on preferring the simple branding they applied allowing for new formats with ease. "BBC Brandname." Something that's rather lost with the current setup, BBC Entertainment, BBC One, BBC Three being just a few that now have their own "logo" after the BBC...

I also loved the concept of using the balloon in/at public events, such a great idea and such a shame it was never put into practice. I do have to disagree with the BBC Two "2" not being a personality (unlike today sadly) it was one of the best brands there was in its iconography.

Completely agree with everything Martin said - including the 2 not being a 'character'. It was much better before they started doing things such as the 'Dog' and 'Car' idents.

I miss the old global BBC identity.

I watched this and thought "Phil is going to love this", I'm glad you did.

It was mostly the same content as a previous video I had seen, but it was still very interesting.

I admire Martin Lambie-Nairn as a brand designer and the work he has done over the years. But you have to agree, the 1997 identity is some of the best work he has ever done.

I don't disagree but I also don't think it could have been maintained right upto now without it being very sterile for a lot of brands.

But his point about the visuals having the identity and the brand being corporate would still work in my opinion. You could easily put the 1997 BBC One logo in place of the current one in the same orientation as is current with no Ill effect. Regardless it's a great look into how they approached the rebrand.

Although TVC is still covered in a mix of pre 97 (and earlier) branding!

That's true, the gates still have the old 50s/60s logo. Have they not been changed to preserve them/because they are part of the listed status?

My alma mater. I've also presented at that very lectern; albeit on the merits of Nuts magazine.