Logo Presentation

Funny you should say this.


I was recently wondering what might have happened if SMG, UTV and Channel had objected to the merged Granada and Carlton being named 'ITV plc' - and Carlton had objected to them just continuing with the name Granada Media (since it was technically an acquisition of Carlton by Granada). Would we have gotten something like 'Granarlton'? Probably not. But it's interesting to wonder!

Carlton's name would've had to go eventually anyway, when the cinema advertising division was sold off. So had the other companies objected to the ITV plc name, the corporate name would probably be Granada, though the channel itself would probably still be called ITV, with or without the regional names and logos.

I suspect it would have been plain old "Channel 3".

Probably is a topic for a different thread though, but perhaps had the merger gone ahead but the regions remained we could have seen things like the hearts ident but all with different endings more unique to the region. It's not too difficult to reimagine those hearts as a Yorkshire Chevron for starters!

Would it though? Nice as it was, it represented something as the logo for Central... but away from that its just a random shape.

I've said this previously, but it's also a very '80s logo with its multiple colours and horizontal lines. I don't think it would have lasted beyond the '90s if Central had stayed independent, it would have at least been modernised somehow.


No doubt of course that, up until Carlton took over their idents/pres, they had some of, if not the best presentation on the network.

The Channel 4 logo could be argued to be equally 'eighties' though. I doubt Central would've gotten rid of the cake voluntarily, outside of small alterations.

You don't need to imagine it, as the local idents had exactly that background design.

By the end of the 90's the majority of the idents didn't have the colours used together and have singles colours used which worked well imo.

The final Central News with the cake from around 1997/98 showed how it might have moved forward too - as well as being used as a transition effective in the logo itself it was a small 2D black and white version as part of a strap saying "CENTRAL NEWS".

See: http://hub.tv-ark.org.uk/images/itvmidlands/itv_midlands_images/central/news/west/centralnewswest071997_a.jpg

http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/itvmidlands/central_newswest.html (Scroll down to 1997)

And unlike most 90s news titles that looks as good today as it did then!

Totally agree with you brekkie.
That music was immense, plus the set was simple, but had the brilliantly designed desk that was used for a casual top of the programme delivery and then serious news. The squares look ruined a fantastic design especially the music change. The set elements are similar to today with the screen and backlit frosted panels, yet I know which I prefer.

Are we looking at the same programme? The music and titles are awful - like a cross between a US regional news programme and an Australian soap opera.

Still sounds better than what Central West used afterwards