Another one of those end credit graphics after The Apprentice; again with the BBC TWO website's 'bird' 2...but this time it has a yellow background, identical to the channel's on-screen scheme, effectively merging the 2 styles.
I guess they're not keeping the appearances for TV and online completely separate after all
Apologies if this is already well known, and I know this sounds a bit like one of those "my uncle works at the BBC and he told me some blatant lies" story, but I assure you this is genuine...
Jana Bennett, BBC Director of Television gave a talk at my University today (deMontfort in Leicester), and she took questions at the end- I asked her if any BBC channels were rebranding due to the BBC Two website changes, and she said that BBC Two is rebranding "in the spring", and they're trying to make it "less cute". I asked if the "2" character is remaining and she said that they'll keep the numeric, but I believe she said she wasn't sure about it being a character.
She also said something to the effect that they're "thinking about" rebranding BBC One too, specifically mentioning to remove the dancers, and they'll be definately keeping the red.
This all came straight from the horse's mouth- don't hate me if she was talking rubbish!
... and she said that BBC Two is rebranding "in the spring", and they're trying to make it "less cute". I asked if the "2" character is remaining and she said that they'll keep the numeric, but I believe she said she wasn't sure about it being a character.
My view it that the '2' doesn't need to be a character or be ''cute''.
It doesn't even need to move around the screen at all if other elements are in play (I refer you to Wave and Catalyst as the very best examples I can think of; both of which were introduced toward the end of that era, at the start of the millennium. Proof how, with the 'constantly updated' format which was needlessly (IMO) given the chop, still superb idents were being produced then).
It should be big, bold, with sound design on the level of what we had pre-current style, and above all, with varied backdrops!
... and she said that BBC Two is rebranding "in the spring", and they're trying to make it "less cute". I asked if the "2" character is remaining and she said that they'll keep the numeric, but I believe she said she wasn't sure about it being a character.
My view it that the '2' doesn't need to be a character or be ''cute''.
It doesn't even need to move around the screen at all if other elements are in play (I refer you to Wave and Catalyst as the very best examples I can think of; both of which were introduced toward the end of that era, at the start of the millennium. Proof how, with the 'constantly updated' format which was needlessly (IMO) given the chop, still superb idents were being produced then).
It should be big, bold, with sound design on the level of what we had pre-current style, and above all, with varied backdrops!
I agree with all of this as I think that some of the best idents of the current set are where the Two continues movement through to the ending of the ident and doesn't have a large amount of personality or character. Examples such as Bounce and Invisible Walls in my opinion are effective as the only personality trait is simply a constant movement unlike idents such as Sticky Label where the Two is given a large character and simply performs the short animation (getting the logo stuck to itself) then just remains in the same position for the rest of the ident. If a rebrand is soon then I would like to see less of the personality, as is mentioned in the quoted posts as well, and just a simple, yet effective, movement with, as Paul says, a varied backdrop.
I agree with all of this as I think that some of the best idents of the current set are where the Two continues movement through to the ending of the ident and doesn't have a large amount of personality or character. Examples such as Bounce and Invisible Walls in my opinion are effective as the only personality trait is simply a constant movement unlike idents such as Sticky Label where the Two is given a large character and simply performs the short animation (getting the logo stuck to itself) then just remains in the same position for the rest of the ident. If a rebrand is soon then I would like to see less of the personality, as is mentioned in the quoted posts as well, and just a simple, yet effective, movement with, as Paul says, a varied backdrop.
I agree with you I like an ident to be moving constantly not just reveal itself and then stop; even some of the original 2's had this problem like paint. The problem is that they try to make the 2 funny and give it a character, which has led to some very dull idents. There are also some great 2's which are only shown in the regions, like Causeway or one where the 2 takes a photo. There just aren't enough idents for the junctions, the same is true for BBC1, it gets boring seeing the same ones continually.
If I was in charge I'd make sure that there were at least 40 different idents in a package and tell comntinuity that they can't show the same one for successive junctions. Then you just add to the package and drop a few new ones in here & there. To see how effective it is just think back to MTV in the late 80's and early 90's.
If I was in charge I'd make sure that there were at least 40 different idents in a package and tell comntinuity that they can't show the same one for successive junctions. Then you just add to the package and drop a few new ones in here & there. To see how effective it is just think back to MTV in the late 80's and early 90's.
Sounds great to me. Seems quite similar to BBC TWO's thinking with the original 2's from 1991, which IMO was a superb approach. What started as just over 10 idents grew over time, with a set that was constantly updated but shared similarities throughout, from the obvious to the very subtle.
The only difference between this and what you suggested is that you've only mentioned to keep adding idents, whereas BBC TWO removed some as they added others. NB There was no order to this rotation of idents; a few originals like Paint went all the way, whereas others were added and then scrapped not long after (Crystal Ball being the ultimate example!)
If I was in charge I'd make sure that there were at least 40 different idents in a package and tell comntinuity that they can't show the same one for successive junctions. Then you just add to the package and drop a few new ones in here & there. To see how effective it is just think back to MTV in the late 80's and early 90's.
Sounds great to me. Seems quite similar to BBC TWO's thinking with the original 2's from 1991, which IMO was a superb approach. What started as just over 10 idents grew over time, with a set that was constantly updated but shared similarities throughout, from the obvious to the very subtle.
The only difference between this and what you suggested is that you've only mentioned to keep adding idents, whereas BBC TWO removed some as they added others. NB There was no order to this rotation of idents; a few originals like Paint went all the way, whereas others were added and then scrapped not long after (Crystal Ball being the ultimate example!)
Yes BBC1 did the same thing with the balloon where some were dropped altogether. I think that's a silly idea but maybe they sat down and looked at some and thought they weren't very good. Crystal ball wasn't one of the best to be honest and the 2 was fleeting in its appearance.
If I was in charge I'd make sure that there were at least 40 different idents in a package and tell comntinuity that they can't show the same one for successive junctions. Then you just add to the package and drop a few new ones in here & there. To see how effective it is just think back to MTV in the late 80's and early 90's.
Sounds great to me. Seems quite similar to BBC TWO's thinking with the original 2's from 1991, which IMO was a superb approach. What started as just over 10 idents grew over time, with a set that was constantly updated but shared similarities throughout, from the obvious to the very subtle.
The only difference between this and what you suggested is that you've only mentioned to keep adding idents, whereas BBC TWO removed some as they added others. NB There was no order to this rotation of idents; a few originals like Paint went all the way, whereas others were added and then scrapped not long after (Crystal Ball being the ultimate example!)
Yes BBC1 did the same thing with the balloon where some were dropped altogether. I think that's a silly idea but maybe they sat down and looked at some and thought they weren't very good. Crystal ball wasn't one of the best to be honest and the 2 was fleeting in its appearance.
I can understand dropping some idents whilst adding new ones to keep the set feeling fresh. I think this worked particularly well with the 1991-2001 2's, and as has been mentioned before could have kept them feeling fresh to the present day had they not been axed.
Having said that, I was disappointed to see some of the 2's retire. 'Balloon' was one of my favourites, although presumably this was removed because a certain other channel featured a balloon from 1997. From the original set, I was also rather fond of Glass and Paper Cut Out - the latter of which only lasted a few months after launch.
However, I think sometimes it can be a good idea to give an ident a rest for a while and then bring it back. That way people are less likely to tire of it and it might extend its longevity.
