I recently stumbled upon an upload on Metropol by Invent Meridian, that puts forward the idea of how the BBC's own logo from 1988 to 1997, could be used if updated with the more modern 'Gill Sans' look.
Although I'm not against this logo, it is something to think about, especially when it is still widely seen even today on some older programmes (Wallace and Gromit to name a few).
If you can find one of the speeches Martin Lambie-Nairn gave that are online, he shows one of the original pitch videos which showed how the old logo didn't sit well alongside other brands, and the image you've posted shows just that.
Of course the ironic thing is that the other main reason it was introduced was because seemingly every department in the BBC had its own specially designed logo, and we're now back in that situation once again. But that's another topic...
Wow - two small images that comprehensively demonstrate why such a branding system would never work. I could not hope to summarise the many reasons as concisely in words.
No offense to you or Invent Meridian, but that is a total disaster.
Why would the BBC use something so mismatched, old fashioned and hideous, especially in this day and age?
Not to mention, that BBC logo lasted only 9 years; the current blocks are in their 18th year and still going.
Yep - the little flashes underneath the logo and the diagonal were tricky to key and render cleanly at small sizes, and the colour 'proper' version of it was expensive to print on stationery and on signage.
I don't miss it - it was feeling very dated by the time it was replaced. The current BBC brand is still pretty simple, clean and effective - though I wish there was a bit more pride taken in it and the correct usage of it. (There are some dreadful 'mocks' of it around BBC offices...)
Yep - the little flashes underneath the logo and the diagonal were tricky to key and render cleanly at small sizes, and the colour 'proper' version of it was expensive to print on stationery and on signage.
I don't miss it - it was feeling very dated by the time it was replaced. The current BBC brand is still pretty simple, clean and effective - though I wish there was a bit more pride taken in it and the correct usage of it. (There are some dreadful 'mocks' of it around BBC offices...)
Guidelines slip over time, and the BBC has become quite timid and lazy (due to fear of the cost of rebrands or new programme commissioning) Once the climate is more favourable, the whole of the BBC needs a refresh. Take the current logo, define new rules for its use, and reinvigorate all the branding. Bring back a bit of conformity, and sanity.
The logo itself was a nice logo but it didn't work anywhere. The little lines under the boxes were bound to disappear as well as some of the inner circles of the letters when on TV or digital where the images are pixelated. With the advent of higher and higher resolution screens this form of logo design may come back into style.
