BBC FOUR

Yeah that was the 2005 trailer design, I think some people referred to it as the battenberg design!

It was a neat animation as I remember. The BBC Channels lack any form of flow between the various trailers, and junctions. It is perhaps the only thing I like about the new ITV branding, that bumpers, trailers, idents, all flow with some kind of transition and commonality in logo placement etc.

The BBC needs to come up with a common design, and transition flow that works across all their channels (CBBC and CBeebies excluded) that covers channels, and services.

Something based on this new BBC Four style could work - treat the rectangles like a videowall with each channel adding its own element (circle swirl, '2', pink liquid/abstract hipness...), while retaining the current colour schemes?

I think it works on BBC Four because the design complements the 'four perspectives' idents. It would look daft if they attempted to push the same out to the other 3; I think what could work is simply having a uniform placement of logo during the trail and on the end-board, and insist on there being an endboard which animates in some way specific to the channel. If there could also be an animation between end-of-programme to trailer, trailer to trailer and trailer to ident; that'd also be cool.

You mean like ITV uses?

Yes.

Does anyone know why this ident was retired so soon after debut?

Imagine a similar concept on an ITV ident. Do you want your channel's logo slapped next to two people having a go at each other? I doubt they want to be associated with such behaviour.

So, now that both BBC Three and Four have had a graphics refresh, surely it's time to finally deal with the BBC channel in the most need of a refresh...

(picture courtesy of Jonny on here)

I think these two are my favourites, actually.

What I don't understand is how they can pull out the wonderful Christmas look and the very recent "There's Always More to See" galaxy endboard and leave the on air every single day jumble completely untouched for 4 years.

I don't think it would take much...

That's very nice! I'm definitely not as angry as I was about things like this a couple of years ago, have gotten used to it and realise that the majority probably don't care, and that there are bigger issues to worry about obviously. But still, I expect more from an organisation who brought us (or at least commissioned) the '2's, the balloons, heck even the BBC One dancers in hindsight were beautifully filmed and had great soundtracks.

I understand those examples are idents and not graphics/other pres elements, but as you said it does seems strange how after years of consistent branding on BBC Two that this happened and we are now potentially stuck with it for years to come.

Well, there was more than one variant of Office originally, yet they all disappeared at once... Another case of the ident with the greatest choice of versions being pulled from use, unfortunately.

I thought the busier take on the usually serene BBC Four tune was a nice contrast to the rest as well. A shame these, for whatever reason, had to go.