The document discusses television idents and their design and purpose. It provides questions to consider regarding two different channels' ident designs, how they reflect the channels' audiences and branding. Specific channels discussed include Dave, a comedy channel, and BBC Four, an arts and culture channel. The idents of each channel are analyzed in terms of visual elements, target audiences, and how well they support their intended audiences.

1. Television Idents
Charles Stick

2. Learning Outcome 1 - CRITERIA
Design & Purpose

3. Learning Outcome 1 - INTRO
• In this section you will discuss and explain the overall issues
regarding the design and purpose of television idents. You are to
respond to the questions set in the template. You are encouraged to
add extra slides where necessary and add images to illustrate your
points.
• You should use your notes to help you formulate your responses,
based on the following areas:
• Design: density of information; space and time; screen tempo; interaction
with viewers; information-led; entertainment-led
• Purpose: identity; branding; marketing; packaging and re-packaging;
scheduling; segmentation within scheduling

4. Purposes Q1
• Outline the core purposes of television idents [e.g. branding/identity for a channel, conveying the
channel’s personality, retaining viewers, informing viewers, segmentation of broadcasting]
• What are they: Television idents are the small sequences before and after a TV show is shown on
TV. The Idents are specific to each broadcaster, for example, the bbc’s idents will be different to
ITV’s idents. Idents are basically used to give the channel it’s own specific identity. They are
usually memorable when you watch them so when you turn to that channel you will instantly
recognize the channel you are on because they make they’re idents stand out. There main
purpose is to help the audience understand what channel they are on, the main theme of the
channel and what sort of programs you will be seeing playing on the program. For example the
bbc one’s idents usually stay the same and rotate between three different idents. They do this
because their channel is very simple and focuses upon presenting the news and contains shows
that are usually information packed. Before and after the show the idents will change, before the
show begins (after the adverts) usually the ident will say what you are watching and what is
scheduled for after the show, (could also say more about other channels). This is information for
the viewer as they can now decide if they want to keep watching or come back later to watch the
next show. After the program has ended and the credits are rolling, the ident usually explains
what’s showing next and what's showing after, they usually talk over the credits so they don’t
waste time, they do this because the credits of the show are usually boring and only contain
music which is the point in time when people decide to leave the channel, it is good to keep
talking after the credits to keep the viewer interesting and to make them stay and to see if they
are interested in what’s coming on next. The design of the ident is basically the channels
personality, for the BBC they have a very simplistic ident which usually relates to all people which
is why it’s such a large broadcaster. They use the circle shape in all of their idents which relates to
the fact that there is no sharp edges and that it’s a pure free channel used to help viewers by
giving information and facts, more than entertain.

5. Purposes Q2
• Explain some of the developments in broadcasting that have led to type of channel branding and
use of idents we see today
• The BBC was the first to create their own television ident in the early 1950s. They displayed the
logo between programs to identify its service. As new technology was developed and became
available the idents have become more complex, colourful and interesting. The ident wasn’t a
thing until the 1950s because of the low end technology, once it developed idents became more
and more relevant to the TV scene.
• Idents today are used and designed with specific colours, objects, pase and more to represent
the channel’s identity, and also suggest to the audience the kind of programs they find on this
television channel for example for the BBC they used a Earth Globe for a few of their idents which
showed that they’re channel focuses mainly on World News.
• Idents are also used for marketing purposes, if a channel has an Ident they can place it at the
starts and ends of television programs, as well as during the advert breaks. This is a good
marketing technique that can be used to help remind the viewer about what channel they are
watching, but also advertise the identity and branding of the channel to their current audience. If
the ident is appealing and catching to the viewer this will result in the viewer most likely
returning to the channel.
• A good way for a channel to changes it’s identity is through television idents. For example if the
channel’s identity is based around new broadcasting and they have an ident which represents
that for them, they can use their ident to change their identity by changing the ident itself. This
allows the channel show the viewers that they are changing their identity instead of suddenly
changing the TV shows they broadcast on their channel. Some viewers will come to the channel
expecting the News but end up seeing a random entertainment show which could make the
viewer angry causing a lose in channel views.

6. BBC1
• Describe the current BBC1 ident design. How does this reflect the
brand/identity of the channel? Why do you think they have chosen to do this?
How does it compare to other channels
• BBC1 has multiple TV idents for different times of the day and for different
programs. They have two main idents that are used before the news is
presented. They use the same music, voice tone and general sequence for
both idents. I think they have done this to keep the idents are neutral as
possible because they are about to present world news and there will be
multiple different cultures watching. Because they only use 2 idents for the
news when a common viewer see’s the ident they will instantly know what
they are watching. One of the main things the BBC idents focus on is the fact
that there is always a circle in the middle of the screen which the logo
animation can circle with. On the right they use a roundabout and red kites
which are flying around in a circle which is then visualized by the logo
animation. To make the circle more visible they make sure to use contrasting
colours which initially helps it stand out. This has created a theme for them
to use a circle in all of their main idents. I also think the circle represents the
neutrality of their channel and it doesn’t have any sharp edges which would
usually relate to bias news for example debates.
• Comparing: the BBC one idents are very recognizable because they display
the name of their channel in the ident itself where as, channel 4 does not.
Their idents are scene as abstract and different to most. They use different
idents for different times of the day for example they have the 12 noon
idents. This specific ident is very abstract and hard to understand. They use
shapes which as generally used to form a number 4 and scatter and pile
them up, they do this so that they can display the time, in the Ident the
shapes will get stuck on an invisible wall which is actually the hands of a
clock, they will be pointing at what time it is using the shapes to display the
hidden clock hands. This has a different affect on the audience then the BBC
one idents because it’s revealing something that you can somewhat piece
together if you keep watching. It makes me (a viewer) think and try to
workout what it actually is before changing the channel. The BBC ones
approach is more friendly and understanding where as Channel 4 has taken a
more complex puzzle approach.
BBC one
Channel 4
BBC. (2017). BBC ONE : 2017 Idents. Available:
https://theident.gallery/bbc1-2017 .php. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.

7. BBC2
• This about the design and style of the BBC 2 idents we discussed,
what do they represent and how does this reflect the channel?
• The BBC two idents are quit unique in the way they are. They have
used the two as a gateway between 2 different locations. For example
for the bottom image they have used a tent which shows the door as a
number 2. There are two grounds in the image, the foreground and
background this relates back to the fact that the channel is 2 and that it
has 2 different layers. This makes the channel easy to spot and
identifies the channel very nicely.
• Comparing BBC one and BBC two: BBC two is a lot more easier to
recognize because what they do is somewhat visually obvious as they
are displaying a number 2 in the middle of the screen which also helps
with self promotion. Since they are directly saying their channel is the
“Channel of the Year” they are basically self promoting because they
also have their channel name pop up and links with the 2 they have in
the ident. By doing all this the ident implants the channel into your
head so when you think of number 2 you always visualize or remember
BBC 2.
• BBC two’s audience will be somewhat similar to the audience that
watches BBC one because of how similar some of the television shows
are that are shown on eithers channel. From the Barb website you can
look and compare the two channels and can clearly see that some
programs are shared between the two channels for example, the main
strictly come dancing show is broadcasted on BBC1 but the fillers are
shown on BBC2 this suggests that the audiences will be some what
similar and can relate to both channels easily.
Barb. (2017). Weekly Top 30 programmes . Available:
http://www.barb.co.uk/viewing-data/weekly-top-
30/ . Last accessed 23 Oct 2017.

8. ITV
• Considering the ITV idents we watched, what does this say about the channel?
How does this compare to BBC1 or Channel 4? How have the ITV idents changed
since the versions we watched? Why do you think this is?
• I personally like the ITV idents, I think they are very necessary and are what most
idents should be like. The reason for this is because their idents relate to what
the speaker is talking about or what's up next, for example, the speaker said
something about Cornwall which relates to the middle picture (the beach)
because Cornwall is usually where people go to the beach and surf. Another
example is when the speaker talks about London whilst the ident shows a
ground of passengers sitting inside a bus which represents the daily life of a
Londoner and that buses are one of the main ways of transport.
• Comparing ITV to Channel 4: The two channels idents are totally different, ITV
tries to relate their ident to what's up next or what's currently broadcasting on
their channel where as Channel 4 focuses on being abstract and mysterious with
their idents, they are hard to understand and take a few replays/views to
understand.
• Comparing Old and New ITV idents: The Old ITV idents keep the same themes as
the new idents and make sure to display a relationship between the ident and
what show is being broadcasted next for example, the bottom left ident is
broadcasting “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” next, you can see the link
because they have flying lanterns powered by Fire, there are also floating
candles in the movie which could be another link to the ident. Also some people
consider setting off a floating lantern is a magical experience which is similar to
the fact that Harry Potter is a magic based movie.
ITV. (2016). ITV : Current Idents (1). Available: https://theident.gallery/itv-
2013.php . Last accessed 17th Oct 2017

9. Channel 4
• What do you think about the Channel 4 ident designs? How do they
reflect the channel’s identity? What do they convey about the channel?
• Channel 4 idents designs are definitely unique to their channel. They use
shapes which can be puzzled together to create the number 4 to display
the secrets inside their idents. For example, in a few of their idents they
use a large pile of shapes to create a contrast between an two invisible
walls which are actually clock hands, the shapes moving around in a circle
getting blocked by the invisible hands which progressively shows the
time. You can see this clearly here showing the time is 9o clock am/pm
you can easily see the different if you look outside. Non of this would
actually be possible without the contrasting colours they use in these
idents. The colours help bring out the anomalies in the idents which are
the invisible clock hands.
• Comparing Channel 4 to BBC 2, these two channels are totally different in
the way they broadcast their content. Channel 4 has it’s own news
segment where as BBC 2 doesn’t. This means that there is going to be a
lot more entertainment shows on BBC 2 than Channel 4. The Idents on
both of the channels are totally different, they both go for a different
concept and are used in different ways to attract and inform the
audience. BBC 2 focuses on a calm and relaxing ident and Channel 4 uses
loud audio to represent the ticking of a clock to make the audience realize
there is an invisible clock in the middle of the screen made up of shapes.
CHANNEL 4. (2017). Channel 4 : 2017 Idents. Available:
https://theident.gallery/c4-2017.php. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.

10. Channel 5
• What do you think about the Channel 5 ident designs? How do they
reflect the channel’s identity? What do they convey about the
channel?
• Channel 5s ident designs are basically a mix between all of the major
channels idents. They do still have their own way of identifying their
channel through their ident by using the quantity of five in each of
their idents for example, in the first one shown there is a man driving
along with 5 dogs in the back of his car, having 5 dogs represents the
number for channel 5, if you view multiple ident designs from
channel five you can clearly see that there is 5 of the same animal
object or thing in their ident, for the middle ident it’s parrots and for
the bottom ident it’s rainbows. I believe that channel 5s idents don’t
actually contain any deeper meaning too them and are just showing
that their channel is number 5 which I guess is some sort of self
promotion.
• Comparing Channel 5 to ITV. These two channels have similar visuals
in their idents as they usually show video of everyday life but add a
twist too it however, what they add is different. ITV’s idents are
focuses on setting the tone for what show is broadcasting next and
Channel 5 focuses on creating a quantity of 5 in their idents. Another
difference between these channels is ITV displays it’s logo in a color
shifting camouflage way but Channel 5 uses creativity to mimic it’s
logo. I believe ITV has a more engaging affect on the audience when
viewed because it’s preparing you for what's next and Channel 5 has a
more entertaining affect because you have to spot the 5
(things/objects) in the ident yourself.
CHANNEL 5. (2017). Channel 5 : 2016 Idents. Available:
https://theident.gallery/five-2016.php . Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.

11. Learning Outcome 2 - CRITERIA
Opportunities and Limitations

12. Learning Outcome 2 - INTRO
Opportunities and Limitations
• This section concerns the opportunities and limitations of onscreen
graphic representations. This section should expand on the points
you made in section 1.
• You should consider more closely the audience and requirements on
the broadcaster to engage with their audience, discussing how they
may have successfully/unsuccessfully achieved this.
• Think about the discussions and examples from the lecture [some
points to consider will be listed in the PP for the lecture]
• Add slides to expand your points and definitely add illustrative stills,
etc!

13. TASK 2 - Learning Outcome 2
• Select 2 different channels to look at, each of these channels should
be aimed at different audiences [for example, E4 and BBC4 or CITV
and BBC1, etc].
• You should:
• Outline the style and design of each set of idents [include examples]
• Comment on the visual elements, such as colour, font, imagery, motion and
composition, for each suite of idents
• Explain how each suite supports it’s intended audience
• Consider the restrictions or challenges in trying to develop a brand/ident
package for the selected channel’s audiences
• Compare the sets of idents, what characterstics are similar or different?

14. Some starting points
• Which channel uses this ident?
• How long is the ident?
• What are the sounds used within
the ident?
• What is the content of the ident?
• Was the ident created using
animation or live footage?
• Who is the target audience for
the ident?
• What are the
settings/characters/props used
for the ident?
• How does the ident relate to the
TV Company?
• How is the TV Company
advertised?
• What are the good points about
the ident?
• What are the bad points about
the ident?
• Is the ident effective? Why?
• Does the ident have a hidden
message?

15. Q1
• Outline the style and design of each set of Idents
[include examples]
• Dave: Dave is a comedy channel that broadcasts TV programs that a mainly
comedy, they have created a fun range of Idents. In each Ident they have a
random scene which is shot so that you are wondering what's going on until
the camera zooms out or tracks something which ends up showing you
what the full image is for example, In the first Ident (top) you are shown a
girl and boy sitting in what it looks like a boat, as the Ident plays out the
camera zooms out showing the boat is on land and that the girl and boy are
pretending to be pirates. This persona is consistent throughout their Idents
as in the bottom Ident you are shown two people getting throwing
snowballs at each other then having the camera zoom out showing that it’s
actually fake snow created using a snow machine in the middle of a grass
field on a sunny day. I each Ident they always make sure that the Dave logo
is shown. In the first Ident they have the logo on the safety ring and the sail
of the boat, on the second Ident they have the logo on a ribbon around the
band leader and in the last Ident they have the logo on the side of the snow
machines. This style of Ident is seen as informal and very comedy orientated
compared to the BBC oneness Idents that are very formal and community
driven.
• BBC oneness: BBC one is a universal entertainment channel which means it
must have a formal Ident that appeals to all audiences. The new oneness
Idents are very community driven as they almost always show a group of
people coming together in a specific activity which will hopefully have an
impact on the viewer for example, in the first Ident you are shown a group
of swimmers in the sea ranging from all different ethic groups, genders and
ages. I believe in these Idents the BBC is trying to give a message to the
viewers saying that they should be brave and participate in community
activities. I believe it’s also used to get people outside instead of sitting on
the coach all day watching TV which relates nicely to the next Ident BBC one
uses which is another group of people doing group exercise. I think this is to
show the audience that exercising in a group is always fun and that it should
be done more than what it is now. For the bottom Ident you have a group
of people wearing red clothing with an ambulance of some sort behind
them. I believe this is something to do with search and rescue but I’m not
entirely sure. This is once again another community coming together.
Comparing this to Dave I think both the channels have a different viewer
age due to the shows broadcasted and the Idents shown. Dave takes a more
comedic approach to promoting itself where as BBC one uses a more formal
cultural friend aspect to promote itself.
Wood, Andrew. (2017). BBC ONE : 2017 Idents.
Available: https://theident.gallery/bbc1-
2017.php . Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.
Wood, Andrew. (2012). Dave : 2007 Idents.
Available: https://theident.gallery/dave-
2008.php. Last accessed 17th Oct 2017.
Dave 2007 TV Idents BBC oneness 2017 TV Idents

16. Q2
• Comment on the visual elements, such as colour,
font, imagery, motion and composition, for each
suite of Idents.
• Dave: Dave Idents are creative in how they are presented. In their first
Ident they use the boat sail and safety ring to promote their channel
whilst giving an entertainment comedy feel to the viewer. At first you
think that the couple are sailing down a river in a boat but as the Ident
progresses you are shown that the boat is stood still on land half dug
into the ground, and the couple are actually pretending to be pirates.
The colours used in the Ident are very natural but somewhat vibrant at
the same time which gives a nice effect. For the composition you have
the boat half dug in the ground next to a river, which gives you the idea
that the boat had drifted into shallow waters when the river was high
and got stuck on the ground. Having the couple play in the boat
pretending to be pirates gives it a sense of value as use. There isn’t
much motion in this Ident as the camera slowly zooming out revealing
more of the Ident. Lastly, the font is displayed in clear text and is show
labeled into different objects blending it into the Ident. For the rest of
Dave’s Idents the elements, colour, imagery and font is the same
throughout. The composition and motion change because if you have
the same Ident it will get boring over time making the viewers less
interested.
• BBC one: The BBC oneness Idents are very simple, this is to keep the
Ident transparent to the audience so it appeals to everyone. The colour
in these three Idents is very natural and dull. I think this helps the Ident
stay relaxing, calm and smooth because if you are watching something
with vibrant colours like Dave’s Idents you are going to be bombarded
with lots of different colours and objects that you will look at where as
BBC oneness keeps it simple and soft on the eyes. The font they use is
also very simple and easy. For the composition, the Ident focuses
mainly on people coming together as a community to get them out of
their homes to explore. For the imagery you are shown different
locations which are usually unrelated to a large group of viewers urging
them to explore. The motion in these Idents is small and in some cases
still as it only shows the groups moving backwards and forwards into a
still position. Overall for the BBC oneness Idents I think they are going
for a very simple relaxing feel compared to Dave’s energetic feel. They
like to keep the visuals soft on the viewer and still have enough
imagery to keep them interested.

17. Q3
• Explain how each suite supports it’s intended
audience
• Dave: Dave broadcasts comedy shows, which are
usually aimed towards the younger audiences from 15-
35, this can be identified when watch this suite of
Idents. The activities shown are relatable to most
people within that age group and are seen as fun and
exciting. I personally think Dave’s Idents don’t relate to
it’s audience enough and focus on creating the most
random visuals possible just for self promotion. I do
however think that their style is correct they just need
to add more of an engaging feel to it.
• BBC one: BBC broadcasts entertainment shows but also
broadcasts the biggest news show “BBC news”. This is
why they have to keep their channel so transparent to
it’s audiences. The oneness Idents however do have an
impact on its audience in a few ways. They always
contain a group of strangers that have come together
as a community to participate in different activities. I
believe this has an effect on viewers making them want
to leave their homes to get involved in the local
activities. Another aspect that also impacts the viewer
is the locations they used in the Idents. Most people
haven’t been to the beach, gym or forest. This makes
viewers want to leave home more just to explore the
world.

18. Q4
• Consider the restrictions or challenges in
trying to develop a brand/ident package for
the selected channel’s audiences, write them
down here:
• The cultural and ethnic groups that the Idents
could affect. This is the main challenge that
Ident creators come across because there is
always someone out there that will be
affected by the Ident.
• The channels main age groups which can
change drastically depending on what show is
broadcasting.
• The weather outside and time of day the
Ident is being shown.
• The logo needs to be visible and appealing
creating a stamp in the viewers brain so they
can understand what channel they are
watching just from the Ident.
• The Ident needs to keep the audience
engaged otherwise they will watch the TV
show and then change to a different channel
• In some cases the Ident can relate to what
show is being broadcasted next to prepare the
audience.

19. Q6
• Which set/suite of Idents is the most
successful in your opinion? Why do
you think this?
• I believe that the BBC oneness Idents are far
more successful than the Dave Idents, this is
because they have stuck to every rule in the
book and have made their Ident mainly for the
viewer instead of self promoting like Dave. In
my opinion Dave has create Idents in a creative
way but without meaning or support for the
audience, yes they are fun and energetic but
they don’t make me want to do anything or
keep watching for that matter, for example in
the bottom Ident with the snowball fight, I
can’t go outside and have a snowball fight
because there is no snow outside. Their Ident
lacks the impact that oneness creates. BBC one
also gets are larger amount of continuous
viewers than Dave showing its dominance in
the TV industry, this is arguable though
because the channels focus on different
genre’s, Dave is mainly comedy and BBC is pure
entertainment and professional news.

20. Q7
• What other issues do you think producers need to consider in
their production of onscreen graphic representation? This could
be to do with duration, for example when continuity announcers
are used, appropriate content, the issues of viewer generated
content, etc?
• I personally don’t think they have any other issues
accept the fact that they don’t have enough unique
Idents, after viewing a channel for maybe 8 hours, you
will have seen all of the Idents multiple times, after
viewing these for a week, yes you will recognize the
channel more and better but they also get boring and
annoying to watch between shows. I think if the
producers created more TV Idents for example one a
week which would replace the oldest Ident it would
keep the channel fresh and progressive instead of
slowly losing viewers.