The whole thing is a complete mess. As I said before I work in radio imaging/ident/promo/ad production. You wouldn't rebrand a radio station with 2 idents/jingles and nothing else. You relaunch with a set and package of styles suitable for the programming you air and have variations that still scream that you're listening to the same radio station. The same with TV, and if anything it's much more pertinent as it's a visual medium rather than just audio driven.
The whole BBC family of channels is a complete and utter mess in terms of on screen identity, it truly is the worst I have seen and it's heartbreaking to say. Over on One you've got a half-hearted attempt at new idents with trailers, end boards and ECPs which aren't joined up in anyway and aren't consistent. On Two there's a hideous boxed 'BBC TWO' logo (with Subtitles graphic which is not in line) but still retains the classic number 2 on the ident which was created in 4:3 SD in 1991. Either have the word Two on the ident in some way or drop the boxed logo and use the number, don't use both. Then there's BBC Four which once again has a boxed logo located in a completely different part of the screen.
There's nothing joined up about the channels in terms of identity, branding and coherence.
There's one simple solution and answer. Bring Martin Lambie-Nairn in and get him to rebrand the whole family of channels in one go and at the same time, with a brief for each channel which suits the programming of today, not 25 years ago in the case of BBC Two. Pay the money and do the lot in one go and stop faffing around and dithering with films on a beach or in a Zumba class. The BBC seem scared of its own shadow at times.
Frankly, I'm amazed that the likes of Martin LN and other celebrated designers haven't offered their services for free. If I were a senior person in the industry I would be so affronted and appalled about the state of the BBC's pres (not to mention the bad name it gives to the wider industry) that I would be banging-down the door at Broadcasting House to help sort this embarrassment out!
Last edited by NextBigThing on 2 January 2017 9:55pm
BBC One and Channel 4, two of the flagship channels in British broadcasting, are representing their brands (in an extremely competitive market) with random, weak pieces of film. The Zumba class ident doesn't even look like it's been shot professionally - the camera is just wobbling. The swimmers one is cold, grey and awkward and I'm not sure showing a bunch of people standing silently beside one other represents any sort of oneness.
I wouldn't put C4 in the same category as these ones - indeed they're arguably the complete opposite. C4 at least has a concept, but it's so convoluted it's not really evident unless you've seen the marketing info that goes along with it. And two of the four filmed idents, plus the clock, are visually pretty spectacular with a distinctive sound track - but dancing fly and the microwave one let them down. In addition C4 also have very strong presentation in addition to their idents - and considering they play a sting after each ident now it's almost as important as the filmed ident themselves.
I didn't even realise the news had begun until I heard the "bang, bang". There is no identifiable "jingle". With the previous bumpers you heard that and it caught your attention... I'll be looking forward to The One tomorrow to see how they do the regions...
BBC One and Channel 4, two of the flagship channels in British broadcasting, are representing their brands (in an extremely competitive market) with random, weak pieces of film. The Zumba class ident doesn't even look like it's been shot professionally - the camera is just wobbling. The swimmers one is cold, grey and awkward and I'm not sure showing a bunch of people standing silently beside one other represents any sort of oneness.
I wouldn't put C4 in the same category as these ones - indeed they're arguably the complete opposite. C4 at least has a concept, but it's so convoluted it's not really evident unless you've seen the marketing info that goes along with it. And two of the four filmed idents, plus the clock, are visually pretty spectacular with a distinctive sound track - but dancing fly and the microwave one let them down. In addition C4 also have very strong presentation in addition to their idents - and considering they play a sting after each ident now it's almost as important as the filmed ident themselves.
So I just saw the junction into the ten o'clock news and it's very bizarre watching a clip of a bunch of swimmers staring into the camera then turning their backs to it, followed by the news headlines.
The ITV, C4 and C5 idents don't deserve to even be compared to this. The "fever dream ravine" C4 ident with the pink block formations is sumptuous to look at, even if you haven't the foggiest what's going on.
There is no joy here. The demonstrable technical ineptitude is unforgivable. There is not even appropriateness. Something has to be done about the news junctions, their choice of ident (like they even have a choice) is tonally, appallingly wrong. Action needs to be taken regarding those specific junctions as soon as feasibly possible.
So I just saw the junction into the ten o'clock news and it's very bizarre watching a clip of a bunch of swimmers staring into the camera then turning their backs to it, followed by the news headlines.
I'm not sure the announcers even know when to start talking, they are waiting for the form up, but there isn't one, so then should they start talking right from the start? But then the logo does form up, but after loads of near silence. A complete mess.