JA
I can’t really believe it; imagine for a minute “you” commissioned a new look for Scottish TV. After weeks of briefing the design team they walk into the boardroom and present you with this!
Who in their right mind would agree to launch this?
What is the logo saying: It’s Scottish? It’s dynamic? It’s vibrant? It shows authority?
It reflects none of these. What does say is: Cheap, Flat and Weak.
This shows that there are people at Scottish TV making decisions about things they are neither qualified nor interested in.
What the hell will the new look Scotland Today be like, given this crap?
Who in their right mind would agree to launch this?
What is the logo saying: It’s Scottish? It’s dynamic? It’s vibrant? It shows authority?
It reflects none of these. What does say is: Cheap, Flat and Weak.
This shows that there are people at Scottish TV making decisions about things they are neither qualified nor interested in.
What the hell will the new look Scotland Today be like, given this crap?
BS
The ITV1 idents don't feature, say, recognisible English and Welsh landmarks or locations. I see no reason why a channel's idents should focus on "saying something about" the country in which the channel is available.
After all, any one channel is not the only channel available within its particular country, so having the idents say a lot about, say, "we're broadcast in Scotland, we are" actually says f*ck all about the programme content of the channel. Whereas having something like, say, idents that reflect different "moods" to suit different genres of programme DOES say something about a channel's content.
The ITV1/STV/UTV channel is a "general purpose" channel, showing a range of genres of programme, rather than being like, say, Challenge TV which only shows gameshows, (etc).
ITV1 tends to introduce dramas with that ident featuring the possibly stood-up man waiting with a rose for his date, and that "woman wailing" music - the "tone"/"mood" of the ident suits the serious drama that it tends to be used to introduce. And all the other ITV1 idents work in a similar way. The one that ends with people in a tent chasing cows around has a very "silly" jingle - it suits introducing "fun" programmes (gameshows, sitcoms, light entertainment, etc).
Whatever else you might think about them (e.g. too arty f*rty and pretencious; unimaginative logo; etc) there is at least a "logic" to it all. For a channel that shows a wide range of genres/"moods" of programme to have idents which reflect that very diversity is surely a sensible thing?
EDIT: Just realised a mistake I've made. The "woman wailing" music is in fact on the ITV1 ident that includes pink shoes, and people hugging a tree. The "stood-up bloke" ident has a sort of sad piano tune.
Paul Clark posted:
what on earth has this got to do with Scotland?
The ITV1 idents don't feature, say, recognisible English and Welsh landmarks or locations. I see no reason why a channel's idents should focus on "saying something about" the country in which the channel is available.
After all, any one channel is not the only channel available within its particular country, so having the idents say a lot about, say, "we're broadcast in Scotland, we are" actually says f*ck all about the programme content of the channel. Whereas having something like, say, idents that reflect different "moods" to suit different genres of programme DOES say something about a channel's content.
The ITV1/STV/UTV channel is a "general purpose" channel, showing a range of genres of programme, rather than being like, say, Challenge TV which only shows gameshows, (etc).
ITV1 tends to introduce dramas with that ident featuring the possibly stood-up man waiting with a rose for his date, and that "woman wailing" music - the "tone"/"mood" of the ident suits the serious drama that it tends to be used to introduce. And all the other ITV1 idents work in a similar way. The one that ends with people in a tent chasing cows around has a very "silly" jingle - it suits introducing "fun" programmes (gameshows, sitcoms, light entertainment, etc).
Whatever else you might think about them (e.g. too arty f*rty and pretencious; unimaginative logo; etc) there is at least a "logic" to it all. For a channel that shows a wide range of genres/"moods" of programme to have idents which reflect that very diversity is surely a sensible thing?
EDIT: Just realised a mistake I've made. The "woman wailing" music is in fact on the ITV1 ident that includes pink shoes, and people hugging a tree. The "stood-up bloke" ident has a sort of sad piano tune.
GM
The ITV1 idents don't feature, say, recognisible English and Welsh landmarks or locations. I see no reason why a channel's idents should focus on "saying something about" the country in which the channel is available.
After all, any one channel is not the only channel available within its particular country, so having the idents say a lot about, say, "we're broadcast in Scotland, we are" actually says f*ck all about the programme content of the channel. Whereas having something like, say, idents that reflect different "moods" to suit different genres of programme DOES say something about a channel's content.
The ITV1/STV/UTV channel is a "general purpose" channel, showing a range of genres of programme, rather than being like, say, Challenge TV which only shows gameshows, (etc).
ITV1 tends to introduce dramas with that ident featuring the possibly stood-up man waiting with a rose for his date, and that "woman wailing" music - the "tone"/"mood" of the ident suits the serious drama that it tends to be used to introduce. And all the other ITV1 idents work in a similar way. The one that ends with people in a tent chasing cows around has a very "silly" jingle - it suits introducing "fun" programmes (gameshows, sitcoms, light entertainment, etc).
Whatever else you might think about them (e.g. too arty f*rty and pretencious; unimaginative logo; etc) there is at least a "logic" to it all. For a channel that shows a wide range of genres/"moods" of programme to have idents which reflect that very diversity is surely a sensible thing?
That was a good read. You are totally correct. It doesn't really matter about places, but moods.
Post of the day.
Work of Artifice posted:
Paul Clark posted:
what on earth has this got to do with Scotland?
The ITV1 idents don't feature, say, recognisible English and Welsh landmarks or locations. I see no reason why a channel's idents should focus on "saying something about" the country in which the channel is available.
After all, any one channel is not the only channel available within its particular country, so having the idents say a lot about, say, "we're broadcast in Scotland, we are" actually says f*ck all about the programme content of the channel. Whereas having something like, say, idents that reflect different "moods" to suit different genres of programme DOES say something about a channel's content.
The ITV1/STV/UTV channel is a "general purpose" channel, showing a range of genres of programme, rather than being like, say, Challenge TV which only shows gameshows, (etc).
ITV1 tends to introduce dramas with that ident featuring the possibly stood-up man waiting with a rose for his date, and that "woman wailing" music - the "tone"/"mood" of the ident suits the serious drama that it tends to be used to introduce. And all the other ITV1 idents work in a similar way. The one that ends with people in a tent chasing cows around has a very "silly" jingle - it suits introducing "fun" programmes (gameshows, sitcoms, light entertainment, etc).
Whatever else you might think about them (e.g. too arty f*rty and pretencious; unimaginative logo; etc) there is at least a "logic" to it all. For a channel that shows a wide range of genres/"moods" of programme to have idents which reflect that very diversity is surely a sensible thing?
That was a good read. You are totally correct. It doesn't really matter about places, but moods.
Post of the day.
RS
[/QUOTE]
The ITV1 idents don't feature, say, recognisible English and Welsh landmarks or locations. I see no reason why a channel's idents should focus on "saying something about" the country in which the channel is available.
The ITV 1 idents couldn't feature English or Welsh landmarks if they tried. They were all filmed in South Africa!
The ITV 1 idents couldn't feature English or Welsh landmarks if they tried. They were all filmed in South Africa!
CW
I do like the way they can just make things up - as others have said, the old logo was originally designed over a year after the public launch of digital television, and when both Scottish and Grampian had had websites for several years before that.
Aswell as that, it was heavily modified in 2002 to fit in with the celebrity idents, and was still considered acceptable then.
You've also gotta love that marketing speak approach which talks of 'stepping into the digital era' as if changing the platform itself (a technical change) in itself is justification for a new look (an aesthetic change).
At least Carlton/Granada had the balls to say outright that they were ditching regionally branded stations because it would be more straightforward to operate them as a single channel - SMG might at least have done the same.
Although of course I do not support what C3NE stood for, I still think the ident itself was pretty good - the music might have been stock but it was bold, authorative, and sounded great (in surround sound it's amazing) and the visuals were warm and inviting. Viewed purely on it's creative merits, it's surely got to be seen as a better effort than that awful blue/grey thing with noise for a soundtrack that preceeded it.
cwathen
Founding member
Quote:
In addition to this, head of STV, Billy Hain says:
"The old [logo] was designed in the days before online and digtal television.. but as we step into the digital era I think it's important we have a new look."
"The old [logo] was designed in the days before online and digtal television.. but as we step into the digital era I think it's important we have a new look."
I do like the way they can just make things up - as others have said, the old logo was originally designed over a year after the public launch of digital television, and when both Scottish and Grampian had had websites for several years before that.
Aswell as that, it was heavily modified in 2002 to fit in with the celebrity idents, and was still considered acceptable then.
You've also gotta love that marketing speak approach which talks of 'stepping into the digital era' as if changing the platform itself (a technical change) in itself is justification for a new look (an aesthetic change).
At least Carlton/Granada had the balls to say outright that they were ditching regionally branded stations because it would be more straightforward to operate them as a single channel - SMG might at least have done the same.
Quote:
That is perhaps a more apt description of the C3NE logo foisted on Tyne Tees viewers by YTTV nearly a decade ago. After that debacle, any of the current logos are better than THAT one - and in any case the C3NE logo was reportedly designed in an afternoon. Hardly a claim you can level at the new stv ident.
Although of course I do not support what C3NE stood for, I still think the ident itself was pretty good - the music might have been stock but it was bold, authorative, and sounded great (in surround sound it's amazing) and the visuals were warm and inviting. Viewed purely on it's creative merits, it's surely got to be seen as a better effort than that awful blue/grey thing with noise for a soundtrack that preceeded it.
BS
Thank you for that positive response, Garry - I was expecting people to jump down my throat!
I'm sure many may yet do...
GarryMc posted:
That was a good read. You are totally correct. It doesn't really matter about places, but moods.
Post of the day.
Post of the day.
Thank you for that positive response, Garry - I was expecting people to jump down my throat!
I'm sure many may yet do...
JA
Work of Artifice you made a very valid point.
Thing about “STV” is that it is a regional broadcaster – now they don’t like to be reminded of that fact. STV should be all about regional refection, identity and culture. STV is not a national broadcaster. Every time their “flagship show” covers a tenuous link to a Scotland story i.e. National story - they are ignoring regional issues i.e. its viewers. So if the viewers can’t connect through the shows at least the idents let them know they are watching a regional channel, don’t they?
Thing about “STV” is that it is a regional broadcaster – now they don’t like to be reminded of that fact. STV should be all about regional refection, identity and culture. STV is not a national broadcaster. Every time their “flagship show” covers a tenuous link to a Scotland story i.e. National story - they are ignoring regional issues i.e. its viewers. So if the viewers can’t connect through the shows at least the idents let them know they are watching a regional channel, don’t they?
ST
It amazes me that in these days of some amazing graphics software the best that a major media company such as SMG can produce as a brand for itself is reminiscent of an 1980s industrial company best known for failing.
I hope they didn't pay too much for the design......although I suspect they did and were sold some double-speak about how "meaningful" it was. What absolute drivel!
OK, so now STV have distanced themselves from the ITV1 brand, but it's a bit pointless since Channel 3 licencees operate as a network, and scottish viewers see the ITV2/3/4/News/CITV/Play branding, so it would've been sensible to move closer to that since eventually ITV plc will make a (perhaps hostile) takeover bid in an attempt to consolidate their position before analogue switch-off.
Some of the mocks produced on here by talented forumers have a higher standard than the "British Steel" logo produced for STV.
I hope they didn't pay too much for the design......although I suspect they did and were sold some double-speak about how "meaningful" it was. What absolute drivel!
OK, so now STV have distanced themselves from the ITV1 brand, but it's a bit pointless since Channel 3 licencees operate as a network, and scottish viewers see the ITV2/3/4/News/CITV/Play branding, so it would've been sensible to move closer to that since eventually ITV plc will make a (perhaps hostile) takeover bid in an attempt to consolidate their position before analogue switch-off.
Some of the mocks produced on here by talented forumers have a higher standard than the "British Steel" logo produced for STV.