This document discusses the creative and technical aspects of television idents. It covers opportunities and limitations of using corporate identity, branding content, tone, target audiences, and other elements. Some key opportunities mentioned include building brand recognition and loyalty over time through consistent branding elements. Limitations include the time and costs required to develop an identity and make changes to established brands.

1. Understanding opportunities and limitations of television idents
In thisreport,I will demonstrate myunderstandingof bothopportunitiesandlimitationsof
the creative andtechnical considerationsthatmustbe followedwhenproducingatelevision
advert.The reportwill be structuredaroundtwomainareas whichare:
1. The creative aspectsof televisionidents
2. The technical aspectsof televisionidents
Corporate identity
Whilstcreatinga corporate identity fromanident,meaningthe overall imageforacertain
companyor business.Itisusuallyveryvisual throughthe use of brandingandwill often
include the corporate companycolours,logo,title and typography.Thisis
done because the coloursof the companyare what’srecognisedthe
most.For example,channel 4has a colourful ‘4’as theirlogoand we
resemble those colourswiththatcertainchannel asitis very
recognisable.Inthe recentyears,havingacorporate identityhasbecome
a lot more importanttohave for a company.Thisis due to the amountof
televisionchannelsthatare available now,backin1939 there wasonly2
available channelstowatchcomparedto now whenthere ishundreds.Havingthisisagreat
opportunitybecause once acompanyhasgrown to be verywell known,theyare thenable
to getacross a certainmessage orproductwithouthavingtosay anythinginthe identitself.
It isalso an opportunitybycreatingthe corporate identity,the companycango onto
changingtheirmedium,forexample Channel 4havingthe multicolourlogocanuse all of
those coloursfordifferentthings,website,radio,advertisementsandstill be able toget
recognisedwiththe same colours. If the audience iscontentwiththe productsandservices
theyare providedwith,itismore possible to stayandgrow withthe organisation. However
the limitationsof havingacorporate identityisthatitisverytime consuming.Makinga
brand well knownbyalogo,colouror title will take time.Ittakesalongtime forpeople to
understandandreallyget toknowsomethingandgettingtoknow a brandsidentity,for
example Channel 4and whatkindof channel itis,will take a lotof time.
Branding of content
Thisis the ideaof a channel beingknownforthe programmesthatitbroadcasts. A good
example of thiswouldbe channel 4’sE4
channel.Theybrandthischannel reallywell
and one the mainwaystheydo thisis
throughtheiruse of colour.The colour
purple isusedthroughoutthe channel
beingontheirwebsite,posters,
advertisements,channelsandidents. The
printadvertsand identswhichE4use,also
have the ongoingpurple colourscheme.
Theyall feature randomobjectswhichissothe youngertargetaudience finditmore
enjoyable andfunny.Italsogivesthemapreview astowhattypesof showsE4 broadcast:
Made inChelsea,Misfits,MyMad Fat Diary,The Aliens,Tattoofixers,BadRobotsandmany
more.Asyou can see theyare mostlyinthe comedygenre and the brandingfitsinreally
well withthe typesof showstheyair. Channel 4have certain guidelinestofollowineachof
theirprojectstomake sure theirbrandingof contentis easilyrecognisable andpeopleknow

2. whatchannel itis throughvisuals. Anopportunityof brandingwithinon-screengraphic
representationisthatitpromotesthe channel contentaswell asthe brand or corporate
identity. Anotheropportunityismakingachannel standoutso people are aware of what
theysee as soonas theysee it,E4 beingpurple forexample. A limitationof brandinga
contentisthat it isveryexpensive tochange.Tochange or modifya brandis difficultand
expensive.Thisisdue tothe planningandmanagerial skillsthatare needed.Todothisit
requiressoundpublicrelations,branding,communication,productions,marketingand
management.Whilstchangingabrand,theymay lose valuable customerswhichisabig
limitation.
Creatingthe right tone
As well asidentifyingachannel,anidentisa chance to provide audience withinformation
aboutthat channel.Itcan reflecteasilythe type of programmesthatare shownon it.
Making sure an identsetsthe righttone forthe channel itison isveryimportant.A good
example of achannel whichdoesthisisBBC.A well-knownidentisthe Hippo’sswimming
roundin a circle,representsthatBBChas a lotof wildlife documentarychannelswithinit.It
isalso importantthatthe tone is setfor an appropriate age groupof the channel.Cbeebies
and CBBC have differentidentsthatare appropriate forthe youngerage groupstheyaim for
comparedto the more mature channelssuchas
BBC. The correct tone isan opportunityfora
corporate or brand identitytobe successful and
appeal toits targetaudience.A livelytone could
be conveyedthroughthe use of brightcolours,
upbeataudioandbusycontent.Thisimpliesa
younger,livelieraudience,whichreflectsthe
tone. Afterthe recentre-brandingof ITV.The
use of blue theyuse isa corporate colourwhich
createsthe tone of businessandprofession.The
turquoise connotatesnature,anewbeginningandgrowthwhichisexactlywhatITV have
done,introducedanewbeginningtothe ITV viewers.Creatingagoodtone to the audience
throughan identisan opportunityforthe audience tounderstandwhatyourchannel islike
througha fewseconds.A limitationof creatingatone isthat itcan be expensive.If youwant
to create a goodtone whichrepresentsyourchannel verywell,there will needalotof hard
workand thoughtsto go intothisand isa lot to take intoconsiderationandthe professional
expertisewillbe costlytoo.
Target audience
Appealingtoatarget audience isanother thingyouneedtoconsider.All identsare aimedat
certaindemographics,suchasage andgender.However,some on-screengraphicsare of
placesratherthan people,whichbringsinthe ideaof psychographics.On-screengraphics
give youthe opportunitytoappeal toa targetaudience invariousways.Anopportunityfora
channel toportray a target audience throughanident isknowingthe exactaudience so
there foryou can create the identusingcolours,sounds,fontsthatwill reflectthataudience.
Channel 4’starget audience is16-24 year oldsinthe UK. These are the age whichwatch
channel 4 the most so the channel worksregardingthisinformation.Now theyknow that,
theycan create an identto attract to thisage range.Astheyare bothmale and femalesthey
can now worktowardsthe colours(makingitsuitable forbothgenders) beingverycolourful
and havingmanycoloursinvolvedatthe same time.Theycanthenadhere everythingthey
needtoconsidertowardsthataudience andworktowardsit. A limitationof thisisthat
everyidentneedstofitwiththe targetaudience.If thisisnotthe case,itwill notfitinwith

3. the brand identityof the channel andwill lookoddcomparedtoeverythingelse withinthat
particularchannel.
Appealingto a target audience
A televisionchannel’sidentgivesareallygoodopportunityforthemtoconnectwithan
audience.Theydothisthroughthe creationof a corporate identitymeaningthe displayof
typography,brandingof content,creationof time andappealingtoatarget audience and
encouragementof brandloyalty.Whencreatinganident,the targetaudience isalways
takenintoconsiderationbefore decidingonthe colours,design,time etc. theyall helpto
representthe brand’sidentityandcommunicate ittothe audience toappeal tothe
audiencessocial identity.(beinganexplorer,aspirer,succeeded,,reformer,ormainstream)
for example manyof channel 4’sidentsare averysimilarformat(shapesaligntoformthe
channel logo) however,thistype of identappealstochannel 4stargetaudience beingaged
16-25 as where the identisset,couldbe shotina familiar
locationforpeople wholive insimilarareas.Italsohasa dull feel
to it,similartothe distinctive Britishweatherwe are all
acquaintedwith.Onthe otherhand,CbeebiesandCBBChave a
differenttype of identswhichare more appropriate forthe age
groupstheycater for.A limitationforthisisitisverydifficultto
conveya brand,theiraims,values,purpose andservicesina
short videoclipinbetweenaprogramme andalsoentertainawhole audience atthe same
time andis somethingyoumayneedtotake intoconsideration.
Encouragementof brand loyalty
For a businesstobe successful,itisveryimportantforitto have brandloyaltywithinit.
Loyal customerslike tostickwithwhattheyknow and whattheyare comfortable with.By
havingthisinyour brand,itencouragespeople tostayloyal toyour particularchannel.An
identhelpstoendorse the brandof a channel bylettingthe audience familiarise themselves
withthe logoand the style of the channel.Thisisthenan opportunitywithhavingavisual
reminderof the channel andimprintsthe brandintothe mindsof the audience andisthen
more likelytowatchthe channel again.There isnormallyaconsistenttheme acrossthe
channelswhichpeoplecanrecognise. Itisthenanotheropportunityforpeople tospreadthe
wordof the brand and make more people aware. Althoughhavingbrandloyaltyisgood,you
alsohave some limitationsatthe same time.Youcan lackvarietywhenyouare loyal to one
brand,in thiscase one TV channel.Thisisbecause brandloyal customerswill notbuyfrom
theirbrandscompetitorswhichthenleadstothemonlyexperiencingwhatone brandhasto
offerinsteadof takingthe opportunitytosee whatotherchannelshave toofferalso.

4. Typography
Thisis the technique of arrangingtextinanident.Havingtypographythat
looksgoodinan identmakesthe identlookalot more effective.Whenthere
istexton the Television,it isthenanopportunitytoportray information
across to the audience throughtextonthe screen. One majorlimitationof
typographyinidentscouldbe thatthe fontsthe companydecidestouse,
mightnot be clearenoughto readdependingonthe font. Lookingatchannel
4’s guidelines,theyare verystrictinwhat type of fonts and sizescanbe
displayedinacertainway.Inorder forthemto display onnational television
youmust followthese strictguidelines.
Colour
Anothercreative aspectof anidentandis one of the mostimportantonesiscolour.Colour
makesthe identlooksomuch betterandmore excitingthe more colourful itis.Colourcan
representabrandidentityandcorporate identity
verywell andisa key factor of recognisingabrand.
It may evenbe more effective thanalogo.Colouris
a brilliantwayforpeople tolinkacertainchannel
witha colour.A goodexample of thisisE4. E4 is
everythingpurple.The logo,the typography,the
background,everythingisrecognisedtobe purple
whichthenthe audience canrememberE4to be
purple.Channel 4alsohas guidelinesforeveryoneto
follow.Thisisbecause theywantthe colourstobe
rememberedforthischannel. A limitationof colour
isthat you have to make sure that the logois visible
for the colourblindorimpairedsighted.Thisisan
issue forcertaincolourswhendisplayedonto
television,itappearsdiscoloured.A lotof idents
stickto primarycoloursas theylooka lot betteronTV and are alsoa lotlessdistracting.
Anotherlimitationof havingcolouristhata lotof channelshave acertaincolour whichthey
are associatedwith,forexample E4purple,CBBC,green,Cbeebiesyellow whichmeans
there islesschoice whenchoosingacolourfor a new identasyou wantto be original and
standout. Alsohavingbrightcoloursinan identwill neverworkasitwouldbe a lot harder
to see onthe screen.

5. Size/length
The sizingof the identdependsonthe purpose.Informationidentsare longertofitmore
informationinandif it’stooshort itwill thenlooklike youare
rushinginformationanditwon’tlookaseffective.Inan
entertainmentident,if itistoolong, it will getboringtowatch
however,if it’stooshortthere won’tbe enoughtime to
entertain.The lengthof anidentisveryimportantasyouneed
the right amountof informationinside. Somechannelsare very
strict withthe sizingof the logoswhichare shownonthe
television.Channel4especially.Theyhave veryspecificsizes
whichare giventhroughaguidelineonline whichanyone has
access toowhichisan opportunityforittolooka lotmore
professionalandalot easiertomake as the measurementsare
alreadygiventooyou.These are sizesfordifferenttelevisionsizes
and states:‘Thesize of the logo is fixed according to each format.
It should neverappearatany other size.All measurementsarein millimetres.’ A limitationof
havinglimited space display,asif youcoulduse yourspace and size toyour advantage you
can create an identdisplayedforashortamountof time andpositioneverythingsoits
visible andalotclearerrather thanif you had a limitedamountof space.
Technical opportunitiesand limitations
There isalso the technical side youneedtoconsiderwhencreatinganident.These are the
thingsthat ismore towardsthe technical side of thingsratherthancreative.Thingslike
aspectratios,bitrate and time.These are the thingsIam goingto discussthe opportunities
and limitationsof thembelow.
Aspect Ratios
An aspectratiois the dimensionsof TV andthe screens. Theyare referredtotwonumbers
beingseparatedbyacolon.This simplymeansthe firstnumbersrepresentthe widthof the
screen.Andthe secondbeingthe height. The screenaspectratiohasan effectonthe final
designdue tothe designerwill be producingthe identforaspecificshape. There are several
differentaspectratiosavailableconsumersand all acrossthe mediaindustry.TV hasan
aspectratio of 4:3 whilstfilmhasone of 16.9. The average TV screeninBritainisaround
16.9 size.Graphicsare made on a computerscreenwhichwill affectthe outputratioof the
graphicswhenbroadcastedontelevision.Thisisdue tocomputersnothavingthe same
aspectratio as TV.This mayleadto the identsappearingstretchedanddeformed. Another
limitationwouldbe thathavingthisratioto follow,itthenrestrictsthe designertodesign
the identhowtheywant.Theywill have asize that theyhave tocreate withinthatandmay
have to change the designingeneral tofitthese. Channel 4’stextinthe identmustbe
within3%of the borderotherwise peoplewithdifferentsizedTV wouldn’tbe able tosee all
of what’s onthe screen.
Bitrate
Bitrate control resemblesthe videoqualityandfile size.A higherbitrate will make higher
image quality.The bitrate forblu-rayvideoisinthe range of 20 mbswhereasthe standard
DVD isusually6 mbs.Whichshowsus the differenceinqualityfor Blu-Raythanthe standard
DVD player.Itisimportantforyour identtohave a highbitrate inorderfor youto have high
qualityandgivesthe audience anopportunitytowatchsomethinginhighqualitywithno

6. pixelatedfootage.However,if yourbitrate foryourvideoislow,the audience will seealot
lessqualityandmaybe a limitationandputpeople off it.
Time
Ofcomhave verystrict rulesforBritishbroadcastersandthe amountof airtime thatcan be
dedicatedtoadvertising.Nowadays,the limitis7minutesperhouratnormal times,and8
minutesanhourbetween7pmand11pm. Guidelinesare producedinorderforthese rules
to be followed.Channel4has guidelineswhichallocate youslotstofittheirneeds.The
average time theygive youis25 secondsduringthe day.Andat nightit maximisesto30-40
seconds.Thisgivesyouridentthe opportunitytobe showntothe publicandgetit outthere
and forit to create a corporate or brandidentity.Buthoweveryouare limitedtothe
amountof time you have to showthese thingsinashort amountof time,meaningyoumay
needtocut back some parts of the identitself.
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