ITV Network Rebrand

January 2nd has been rumoured. But who knows. We will probably find out a day before the relaunch.

January 2nd has been rumoured. But who knows. We will probably find out a day before the relaunch.

Hopefully we might find out sooner from those with contacts at ITV regional newsrooms assuming news rebrands at the same time as ITV1.

Emotional rebranding for ITV

Tara Conlan
Friday November 25, 2005

ITV's first major onscreen rebranding in three years eschews celebrity and programme clips for more "cryptic" promos representing viewers' emotions.

The initial ideas for the revamp were unveiled to staff last week by Red Bee Media, formerly the BBC commercial subsidiary BBC Broadcast, which is now owned Australian investment bank Macquarie.

The 20-second idents focus on emotions viewers might feel, such as ecstasy.

However, sources said a couple of the promos were considered a little too downbeat as they featured negative emotions, and are unlikely to make it through to the final cut.

Red Bee has been working on a new look for ITV since the beginning of the year, with viewers due to see the results in January.

It is thought the traditional homogenous blue and yellow branding currently running across channel idents for ITV1, 2 and 3 will disappear.

Instead, like the BBC's digital stations, the channels will be given specific onscreen identities which reflect their individual personalities.

New digital channel ITV4 has already been given its own look, with a sleek, modern logo.

One source said of Red Bee's work: "The idents are quite cryptic, about 20 seconds long and quite abstract. But they're stylish and show the quality and range of programming."

Last September ITV axed its celebrity-based onscreen idents, which had run for two years.

The brainchild of the ITV marketing director Clare Salmon's predecessor, Jim Hytner, the celebrity promos showed the broadcaster's major stars, including Chris Tarrant and Ant and Dec against a blue-and-yellow ITV set.

The celebrity idents were replaced by clips of forthcoming programmes.

In 1998 ITV developed a heart logo, the first time that the network's 14 regions had used one consistent onscreen brand.

An ITV spokeswoman said no final decision had yet been made about the new idents and which particular executions will run.

"Part of any creative process is to look at a number of options and therefore not every idea considered becomes part of a final brief," she said.

I just hope they are no where near as bad as ITV4's package. Their idents are awful and the general presentation is quite boring.

I think ITV1 at least are mad to get rid of the four square motiv - which has served them very well and is highly recognisable as the ITV1 logo.