Unit 32 Assignment 1 (Designing Idents)

What is an Ident?

• Logo/graphic that runs before a programme -linking to a channel.  
• Each channel has a different ident but each can have different ones. 
• Idents are informative, idents reflect the attitude of the channel. 
• Idents can give you clues about the target audience. 
• Idents can relate to the programme they are run before. 

Why do we use an ident? What are the purposes of idents?

• To give breaks between programmes 
• Indicates what programme is coming up next -marketing. 
• To keep your attention -to interest you. 
• To represent a certain season or holiday such as Halloween or Christmas. 
• Ident design links to the genre of the programme you are going to see.
• Idents can be for a specific gender.

The Channel 4 Simpsons Ident tells us that the Simpsons is coming next and it shows us that the programme's genre is comedy because we find Homer getting electrocuted funny.



This ITV Ident tells us that the gender the channel/programme is aimed at is women because the colours are bright and girly.

• The purpose of an ident is to persuade an audience to watch the next programme or that the channel is targeted for them. This tends to be by using specific design ideas.
• Another purpose is to create a brand identity -the core, the reputation, the goal of the channel to reflect its' values. For example E4's programmes are a bit weird and quirky like the idents.
• Idents sell programmes -as a marketing tool. This is important for channels that don't run advertising such as BBC. 
• To break up the programmes to give audiences time to have a break, to ensure that they don't turn over. 
• Idents help to map out a TV schedule -not just daily but over the course of the year e.g. seasonal designs. 

Styles of Idents

How are these idents made?

TCM:

• Outside setting
• Camera Kit
• Cast
• Editing Transition (Editing Software such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premier Pro)
• Soundtrack

Watch:

• Adobe After Effects/Cinema 4D
• Pre-visualizations
• Voice over

BBC One:

• Set -Green Screen
• Cast
• Props
• Camera Kit
• After Effects 
• Soundtrack

• Outside Setting
• Soundtrack
• Camera Kit
• Editing Software (Final Cut Pro etc.)

• Pre-visualizations
• Adobe After Effects
• Voice Over

• Cast 
• Set -green screen 
• Props
• Soundtrack
• Camera Kit
• After Effects 

Opportunities For...

Brand:

• More viewers.
• Recognition 
• Increase in revenue
• Refresh or reinvent brand identity. 

Designer:

• Could lead to more work
• Recognition (awards etc.)
• Finance
• Building a portfolio
• Builds a reputation

What limitations could you face working as a designer for a channel?

1. The brand may not be satisfied with your product.
2. The client might be unsure of what they want.
3. They could give you a vague briefing which could limit your creativity especially if you have to include specifics such as: a logo or colour schemes.
4. Timescale may be un-achievable.
5. There could be technical failures.
6. There may be last minute changes to the brief.
7. Individuals may manage criticisms in different ways.
8. There could be a risk of damaging your own reputation if you fail because clients talk!

Limitations in Design 

1. Dull
2. Boring props and setting. 
3. The colour scheme is pretty boring -greys and browns.

Limitations in Creativity

1. Not very unique.
2. Doesn't relate to the voice over. 
3. The camera shots aren't really interesting, it looks pretty boring and odd.
4. Doesn't show the channel programming range. 

How it could be made better

1. Make things brighter.
2. Could use a range of settings/locations.
3. Make the ident relate a bit more to the voice over or the channel's programmes. 

Limitations in Design

1. No props
2. Colours are bland and dull
3. Editing is shaky and it looks like a really bad movie. 
4. Sound is echoey.

Limitations in Creativity

1. Not very unique.
2. No variation in sound or colours. 
3. Doesn't interest me. 
4. Doesn't show the channel's range of programming or a brand identity. 

How to make it better

• Make things brighter and more abstract.
• Could use a range of graphics or transitions. 
• Make the picture clearer. 
• Change the sounds up a bit mixing different ones. 

Limitations in Design

• Boring props/setting/colours/costume/sound
• dull

Limitations in Creativity

• no inventive movement or technique. 
• Not very unique -nothing that shows a range of channel programming. 

How you could make it better?

• make things stand out a bit more.
• Range of settings
• variation. 

Analysing a suite of Idents: BBC4

BBC Four: Hand Transition Ident

Design Elements: key colours, text, speed, use of space.

• Used a range of colours e.g. 0:33 and 0:40
• Quick paced -all of it. E.g. pull transition at 0:09 and the image at 0:30 were the quickest.
• Text -BBC Four logo -black and white -centered logo which makes us focus on it. Uses the letters rather than the number four which makes them seem sophisticated and it makes the logo stand out. 
• Ident uses the full frame to distort and confuse their audience e.g. the extreme close up of the squid. 

Purpose: what do you think the ident is being used for? What kind of audience is the design targeting?

• Keeps viewer from turning over -hand transitions at 0:32. 
• Creates a brand identity -surrealism. E.g. extreme close up of the throat type thing?! Shows they have a variety of programmes -e.g. several different settings -waterfall, lizards, squid etc. 
• They want you to think. 

Creative: what were the most creative elements of the ident? what brand identity are they trying to create? 

• 0:13 extreme close up of the foam/squid. 
• 0:18 extreme close up of squid with the non diagetic sound of breathing. 
• The image of the broken glass with sound effects 
• The brand identity are trying to create something that "stimulates the mind" and these examples back it up.

BBC Four: Ink Splatter Bird Ident

Design Elements:

• Black and white -reminiscent of ink stain/artwork 0:01-0:04.
• B&W logo -in centre, sophisticated. 
• Speed: starts at 0:04 -waves, 0:20-0:22 waves. 

Purpose:

• Age of audience 16-34 and 55+
• Audiences are looking to be engaged. and looking to stimulate the brain. 
• Purpose is to show variation in life and culture. 
• Ident was designed for active viewing -only once you focused on the imagery and the sound would you know that the setting was a seaside. This keeps the viewer from turning off.
• Brand identity -surrealist.

Creative:

• Black dots form into birds
• Sound of humming and non-diagetic seaside. -represents a seaside in a surreal way.
• Waves at 0:30 and the birds at 0:12. 
• Logo looks part of the flock -the birds are around the BBC Four logo in the centre. 

BBC Four: 4 section Bees Ident

Design Elements:

• B&W Logo -sophisticated. 
• Vibrant colours: 0:10 and 0:12. 
• 4 sections all bright colours 3 on a white background making it stand out -changes from different shots -close ups. Anchors to channel number.
• Speed: changes on every beat of the bell. Slow paced which gets you to concentrate more at 0:09 the transitions between the different shots are the slowest here. Logo built up on every beat slowly adding in the letters to the logo from 0:01-0:12. Pictures are scaled on the seconds. 
• Zooms out at 0:07 seconds then it goes faster. 

Purpose:

• Purpose -to create a brand identity -surrealist.
• Ident was designed for active viewing -stimulates the brain because you have to look carefully to know that it represents BBC Four. This keeps the viewer from turning the channel over.
• Targets an audiences looking to be engaged and stimulate the brain, looking for something a bit curious like a riddle, maybe people that like puzzles/enigmas. Could target a younger demographic because it's a bit quirky. 
• Breaks up the programmes -the sound is loud, variety of images to map out the TV Schedule and to target a specific genre. Bees and Sea could signify that it would run before a documentary. 

Creative:

• Sound of the bees buzzing, clock ticking and waves -sounds match the images. Louder at the beginning. 
• The images represent the brand name -like playing a game of pictionary. bee, bee, sea, IV. -this"stimulates the mind." -images refocus and at 0:07 that it's a pictogram of BBC Four. 

Comparison of BBC Four Idents

I thought that the first ident was the most creative. This is through the way that it was shot and the use of hand transitions engaged the audience and kept them watching in a creative way.

In my opinion the second ident was better at targeting the audience. The design of the ident (B&W seaside theme") meant that the audience really had to concentrate. From my research I gathered that the type of person that watches BBC Four watch it actively and for a purpose and I feel that this ident fits nicely. 

The third ident compared to the other idents was more suitable for a specific genre of programmes. This is because the images of the bees and the sea could reflect the content of a nature programme and helps to map out the tv schedule.