A channel ident is the first clear message of what a channel stands for, it is also the strongest visual representation of the channel.
The BBC 1 ident has a history of using the world as their recognition icon. Throughout the years BBC 1 have been using the world in their idents in many different creative ways. For example, if you watch the ident I'm analyzing, towards the end you see the cyclists cycling around in an 'O' shape wearing different coloured rain coats. Not only does that represent the world, but it also represents the different people around the world in terms of race, religion, age, etc and also represents unity. Also in the beginning, each scene shows each group colour cycling in typical London weather, and once all the colours get together in a circle, the weather changes, this suggests that getting together and working together makes the world brighter place. It also represents the channel its self, suggesting that there's something for everyone. From the news, one show, antiques road show, Eastenders to films on the weekends, I'm very sure that there's something for everyone to watch.
They also use significant music, which is crucial in a channel ident. Throughout the years, BBC 1 have been using the same music, but changing it a little. So the music is very iconic and recognizable. Whereas if you compare all that to the BBC 2 ident, you can tell they are both very different idents and have different concepts.
Channel idents all have a few things in common:
- Logo- They all show their logo to represent who they are.
- Music- Most of the channel idents use music or audio instead of voice-overs.
- Colourful images- Most use colourful images, animation or a certain color to portray their brand/company. For example E4 use a lot of animation, so it shows that it’s aimed at the younger generation. They show a taster of what the brand is all about.
The BBC 2 ident is a little boring looking. If you compare it with the BBC 1 ident its much more colourful. It sticks to its conventional branding because its the most family oriented channel and most watched, so therefor it has a stronger sense of theme. Whereas the BBC 2 ident is completely different as they use a Zoetrope, which is historical and suggests that the channel air boring programms. However, although they use dull colours; in a way it does suit the ident concept, but it still just looks boring. I think that the BBC 2 ident could suggest that the channel is aimed at older people, whereas BBC 1 is aimed at the younger generation. Overall, I think that each channel ident has their purpose and target audience. And the BBC 2 ident is the best in its own way. I still think the BBC 1 ident is the best, it makes the world spin!
