History of BBC television idents

The history of BBC television idents starts in the early 1950s. They were first used so that BBC to create separate identities for each of the channels. As new technology has become available, these idents have evolved from static black and white images to the sophisticated full colour ones we today. With the arrival of digital services in the United Kingdom, and with them many more new channels, branding is much more important, meaning that idents need to stand out from the competition.

BBC "Television Symbol"

The BBC "Television Symbol" was introduced in 1953. The centre contains a very small globe that span around.

"The abstract pattern consists of two intersecting eyes which scan the globe from north to south and east to west, symbolising vision and the power of vision. Flashes of lightening on either side represent electrical forces and the whole form takes the shape of wings which suggest the creative possibilities of television broadcasting."

I think that this logo is very effective. Considering the time that this logo was made every component has not only a meaning- but also works as a symbolic representation, for progress, the future, and infinite possibilities.

“BBC TV” logo

In 1962, this ident symbol was introduced; inside the circle there was a map of Britain with the BBC regions shaded in. There were seven regions at the time, London & SE, South & South-West, Wales, Midlands & East Anglia, North, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

This logo doesn’t appeal to me quite as much as the first one. I don’t feel that this has quite the same amount of depth nor meaning it is and much more "literal" in its representation. The way the “BBC TV” logo has been placed makes it look like an afterthought.

BBC-TV Globe Logo

Introduced late 1963, and still in use 8th Nov 1964. This was the second globe; the first only lasted a few months in the middle of 1963. Although this one was introduced on BBC-TV, it survived the change to BBC-1.

This logo is also interesting. I like the way that the background is almost split in the middle creating a shadow of night and day, light and dark. Looking slightly deeper it could also be a representation of good and bad news in the media.

"mirror globe" ident

On 15th November 1969, BBC1 began transmitting in colour, and introduced the first version of the "mirror globe" ident. The inclusion of the word "colour" in the station ident could be viewed as a subtle reminder to the vast majority of viewers, still watching in black and white, to buy a colour TV set and the much more expensive colour television licence, which financed the BBC. The Nexus Orthicon Display Device, or NODD generated the idents for short, which worked by filming an image in black and white and electronically adding colour before the image was aired.

I really like the mirror effect that has been used, its very effective visually. The choice of colour is also interesting. This particular shade of blue appears to almost bounce off the black and create a real contrast. This really brings out the detail of the globe.

BBC1 Virtual logo

1991 and the journey to a new on-screen image started in Autumn 1988 when Lambie-Nairn were brought in following their work on the Nine O’clock News. Several designs were considered and evolved before the final choice was made. The new BBC1 globe is a swirling world of shadows and reflections.

I thought theses idents were quite intriguing, I remember this from my childhood and would always try and make out shapes from within the globe, this particular ident always had a slightly spooky/ fantasy element to it. - however after seeing it several times it lost impact and I didn’t really notice it anymore.

hot-air balloon ident

On 4th October 1997 the globe was dramatically updated when it left the computer to take the form of a hot-air balloon filmed over various landmarks throughout the UK. The idents featured the new name of the channel: BBC One, renaming which continued across the rest of the BBC's channels.

Once again I remember these idents from my childhood and have fond memories of it. I really like the concept of using real footage for an ident rather motion graphics or static images. The colours in this ident are also very interesting. The orange and red contrast well against the green landmarks making the balloon sticks out even more.

diverse circle idents

A circle motif now features as the main theme of the idents, while the content is much more diverse than previous: swimming hippos, motorcycle stunt riders, children playing "ring a roses", lit windows, surfers, football players, the moon as well as kites. The new circle motif is both a 'nod' to the channel's heritage as well as a symbol of people coming together, in the way the channel brings people together.

These idents are currently playing right now, and have received a mixed response. I personally like them, but like some more than others. The concept of bringing people together is a good one and shouldn’t be lost. I really like the way that the red is always constant theme and remains throughout the various idents- this give the whole branding a sense of continuity.