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BBC Select to return as a brand

New North American streaming service (December 2020)

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DE
denton
Spencer posted:
I think there was some discussion that Reith has alternate versions of some glyphs.

I seem to remember someone saying that the single-storey* ‘a’ was created for child-friendly uses, but that Wales decided to use it for their logo.

(*No idea what the technical term is – can anyone enlighten me?)


The letter y in Cymru is also not the standard Reith y.
AndrewPSSP, Roger Darthwell and Spencer gave kudos
SP
Spencer
Robert Williams posted:
Spencer posted:
I think there was some discussion that Reith has alternate versions of some glyphs.

I seem to remember someone saying that the single-storey* ‘a’ was created for child-friendly uses, but that Wales decided to use it for their logo.

(*No idea what the technical term is – can anyone enlighten me?)


To make matters worse then, the new BBC Radio Scotland logo uses the same style as 'a' as BBC Wales, except it doesn't have the curly bit on the end. So that's three different versions. It's bad enough that those various BBC logos use a mish-mash of different fonts without the BBC's own font also coming in numerous different versions.


It’s fairly common though for fonts to have alternate versions of some characters available. If they were using a commercial typeface, they could quite easily be in the same situation. Plus it does afford them flexibility in some contexts... although some consistent usage guidelines for logos might help, but then this is the BBC. Wink
JL
J. Lyric




Sometimes this makes my head hurt when I really pay attention to it.

60 days later

DE
denton
So BBC Select has now launched, and those blocks are still there.

https://variety.com/2021/streaming/global/bbc-select-svod-bbc-studios-price-1234910226/
AM
Alfie Mulcahy
I can't believe noone pointed it out.
JO
Jonny
Bizarre.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/storefront/?contentType=subscription&contentId=bbcselect&benefitId=bbcselect#top

A senior level decision has been taken to deviate from the master brand for the launch of a new international commercial service.

Does this variation succeed on a technical level, where the 1997 logo would falter? *Maybe* the extra space between each block makes it slightly more legible at smaller sizes? I'm being kind there.

Aesthetically, it lacks the finesse of the 1997 logo while relying heavily on its equity, so it just looks like a knock off.

Really weird. As discussed at the start of the thread, either this is a taste of things to come or a failure of good brand management.

And in the age we live in, "playing around" with the master brand is not a sensible road to head down. I would immediately think "scam app" if I saw that in the app store, for example.
Ittr, Brynt and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
RD
Roger Darthwell
I said this before and I will say it again, I think that could be the new official logo of the BBC very soon
HC
Hatton Cross
Jonny posted:

Who else wanted, with that odd BBC blocks logo, to open up that Amazon subscription page, to find W1A being plugged on it?
Would have been so perfect...
SP
Spencer
Roger Darthwell posted:
I said this before and I will say it again, I think that could be the new official logo of the BBC very soon


You sound pretty certain. Are you basing that on other information you’ve heard, or are you just guessing?
Ittr and Roger Darthwell gave kudos
RD
Roger Darthwell
Spencer posted:
Roger Darthwell posted:
I said this before and I will say it again, I think that could be the new official logo of the BBC very soon


You sound pretty certain. Are you basing that on other information you’ve heard, or are you just guessing?

I am just guessing, and I hope with all my heart that I am wrong
PE
Pete Founding member
I'm reliably informed that BBC Studios was originally going to launch with exactly the same disaster of a blocks logo and that this is, sadly, entirely on purpose bc an actual designer thinks it is good and them upstairs are too dozy to notice.

Maybe they were inspired by that disaster that appears when people share links to the BBC Jobs website on facebook.
BR
brioalex
Roger Darthwell posted:
Spencer posted:
Roger Darthwell posted:
I said this before and I will say it again, I think that could be the new official logo of the BBC very soon


You sound pretty certain. Are you basing that on other information you’ve heard, or are you just guessing?

I am just guessing, and I hope with all my heart that I am wrong


You're absolutely right, that's BBC Reith in those blocks. Fully expecting that to transition to all other BBC branded services in the near but probably distant future...

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