The Man Behind The BBC's Biggest Reinvention
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ต.ค. 2024
- Back in the mid-1990s, in anticipation of digital television, the BBC needed a rebrand, a big one... Established in the industry, MARTIN LAMBIE-NAIRN with his design team, had the unprecedented task of redesigning not just a channel or two, but the entire look of the BBC as a whole...
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#bbc #rebrand #1997
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Quite possibly the greatest rebranding of any organisation in the UK. Outstanding job from Martin and his team.
The fact the that BBC logo lasted across 4 decades and they still use the technical principles of the design are the ultimate compliment. Great video.
The 1997 logo was definitely the best BBC logo.
The incredible thing for me now, is the corporate logo for RTE in Ireland preceded, spanned and outlasted the whole life of that BBC look. It's soon to turn 30, debuting in 1995. Not designed by Lambie-Nairn, but feels like it was, just because it's lasted that long. Showing how his is the standard by which others are judged.
Makes me want to do a video on longest-lasting logos of TV networks around the world. If you allow for partial reversions, Channel Nine in Australia has had the same one since before colour TV. American networks of course love the stained oak and mahagony vibe of their old logos, or should I say shag pile orange carpet vibes … the ABC logo is so ’70s that it defied anyone to change it and it’s probably come into vogue and out again while standing still, like a stopped clock 12 hours later.
@@whophd “…the ABC logo is so ’70s that it defied anyone to change it…”
Classic, perhaps, because it was ahead of its time, being “so ’70s” yet (re)designed by graphic designer Paul Rand in 1962 and debuting on-air in October of that year.
Excellent video, Adam. This video reminds me of what the legendary designer Saul Bass did when he presented his proposal for the Bell System logo in the 60s (that video is available in YT). Martin Lambie-Nairn was capable of presenting his case in an engaging and concrete manner. No wonder he was a legend on his area of skill.
Thank you very much!
That’s still a funny and engaging video today! No surprise that many of his logo designs are still in use today, only slightly altered
This is a very interesting vid. I knew of Martin’s work before his death in 2021, however I never knew that this vid of Martin speaking about reinventing the new BBC logo in 1996. Quite possibly one of the most iconic logo up until 2021.
As a graphic designer who works with type every day, I found this both very interesting and informative. Perhaps this should be referenced when certain tabloid journalists criticise the BBC for "wasting money" on their logo rebranding.
Thank You Adam.
I think that video must be one of the most moving videos you have EVER made.
We all take the history of the television ident logo of a broadcasting channel for granted, because we ( the general public) see it as just a natural process of what Television Broadcasting Channels must do, as part of the process of natural broadcasting evolution for the general public.
But as you have done here…there are those certain individuals that we all take for granted who really should be recognised and acknowledged for the incredible work they have done in history, in branding and re-branding a broadcasting channel throughout a very long period of time.
Again…Thank You Sir.
I liked the hot air balloon ident for BBC one in the 00’s. The 90’s/00’s BBC TV/radio idents and music to go with the idents was great
I remember the rebrand quite clearly - I was 10 in 1997 and noticed how everything changed to being so clean, clear and consistent. It was obviously successful as it lasted such a long time.
Thanks for sharing what Martin did.
Excellent video. I've always loved typography, logos and brand design.
Thank you!
Fascinating video, Adam, I really enjoyed it. Martin Lambie-Nairn was a very clever designer since the BBC logos are timeless.
Thank you verymuch!
Great tribute at the end Adam, really fantastic touches mate. Thanks for this great insight bud 👏🏻
My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!
Man, do I have a lot to say.
First of all... Love this film. Such a great showcase on why the BBC channels & services looked the way they did in the tail end of the 90s.
I do sort of prefer the 1991 BBC logo (even though I didn't grow up with it) I tend to favour logos that contain a lot of detail, colour, texturing etc. which I why I give some modern company logos a hard time, but this film does put in some perspective on how that sometimes doesn't work & I will admit, when Martin showed all the different logos from 14:00 - 14:14, it does look cleaner & probably didn't cost nearly as much as the previous ones.
The logos may be seen as downgrades to some, but hey! BBC One had the "Globe Balloon" & BBC Two had the "2s" so the channels still had plenty of personality, like Martin said. For example, I think the CBBC logo at the time looks pretty bad, but the idents & in-vision links made up for it, IMO.
As for the Gill Sans font, sweet mother of God! I did not realise Eric Gill was so psychotic! That definitely gave me a whole new perspective on why the BBC spent all that money to update their logo in 2021.
Finally, All respects to Martin Lambie Nairn. R.I.P.
Martin Lambie-Nairn’s work was well influential to how television indents could be iconic from the 4 for channel four in the uk to the BBC rebrand in 96. Lambie-Nairn will always be influential even after his passing in 2021
Easily one of my favorite rebrands I've learned of. I also loved the 5-Channel TV design he applied for British Satellite Broadcasting, the Rhythm and Movement idents on BBC and the Twos (obviously)
Wow. Lambie is just a king at design criticism.
Martin Lambie-Nairn has always been a design hero of mine - but who knew he could give Jonathan Meades a run for his money with his presenting skills? What a great video ❤
Think I've mentioned this before but way back in 2004 my parents surprised me for my 18th birthday by writing to him and he very kindly sent me a copy of his book, 'Brand identity for television with knobs on' which to this day I still keep in the envelope it came in so that it won't get damaged. One of the best birthday presents I ever had. RIP Lambie-Nairn, a graphic design genius!
Love this Adam! A doc on the life of Martin Lambie-Nairn!
Wow I never knew “The Simpsons” were once on the BBC
Yup, BBC1 Saturday nights in 1996 to 97 then weeknights on BBC2 from 1997 to 2004.
Oh Jesus I'm old
@@stickytapenrust6869 I guess seeing them on Sky every day it’s hard to ever remember them on the BBC
Ironically, they were originally a part of the Tracey Ullman Show, which the BBC cut from the show to fit it into a 25 minute slot. So they could have had the original series for no extra cost if they had left it as part of the Ullman Show, but that is the BBC for you.
I feel so old reading this! 😭
the original music for the Channel 4 indent was written by David Dundas who made a fortune as that tune was heard before every programme for years
And then he made music for both of the ITV 90's generic looks.
When the UKTV network launched in 1997 the branding was also designed by Martin Lambie-Nairn and the branding was similar to the BBC look at the time. Even the menus and trailers were the same as the BBC channels.
it was partly owned by the BBC at that time, and was essentially intended as a new commercial arm of the BBC. Of course, it didn’t develop in that way in the end, and they ended up selling off their stake.
@@kaitlyn__L It was such a good network in Australia until all the content (and budget), along with the HD spectrum, got pinched by BBC First and the lovely mainstream quality service got replaced by 1.5 genres of period murder mysteries, and the UKTV channel just went into the gutter with repeats.
@@kaitlyn__L Correction: UKTV is still owned by the BBC. Its wholly owned by the BBC's commercial arm. The BBC sold thier stake of several UKTV channels to Discovery, retaining the UKTV brand and several channels. Gold, Dave, Yesterday, W, Eden, Alibi and Drama. Discovery purchased Good Food, Home, and Really.
There IS something special about Martin Lambie-Nairn - he's one of the most creative persons in the world.
Yes, I've ripped the "there is something special about..." phrase from the "Making of the BBC Two idents" episode of the show "How Do They Do That?" where Lambie-Nairn says what's special about the Two he has in his hands.
Thank you, Martin Lambie-Nairn.
Great video as always Adam. I have to admit though I did not know about the other uses of the letters BBC. I looked it up. Oh dear!
The 1990 to 1997 and the 1997 to 2021 logos are very nostalgic to me. R.I.P Martin Lambie- Narin.
Martin was a master in his craft. Growing up it was always the BBC and Channel 4 that held an irresistible fascination to me and part of that was the logo and branding.
This is the first time I’ve seen him but Martin Lambie-Nairn’s voice, delivery and even appearance are shockingly similar to the TH-camr Dave Huxtable.
This is a sublime observation. Indeed!
The Batwings looks like a Kirby Final Boss
BBC Horizons and BBC Arena became UK Horizons and UK Arena due to the channels plan of being commercial, so they had to drop the BBC logo.
Sort of like “UKTV” starting off with that BBC logo vibe
@@whophd Yes, UKTVs 1997 branding was done by Lambie-Nairn and thus reused the 1997 BBC graphics with the exception of the BBC blocks.
I suppose this is why BBC News has become more readibly available to us Americans via streaming lately.
A wonderful and very interesting tribute
RIP Martin Lambie-Nairn. He also helped to devise Spitting Image.
Let's not virtue signal over Gill... personal life should not be relevant to his work
13:32 "it would’ve have lost it's BBCness"
That’s true the boxes are the best 👌⬛️⬛️⬛️
Lambie-Nairn was the Jony Ive of television!
7:31 Though to be fair, it's kinda no different compared to the ABC abbreviation being commonly used, like for example, I'm an Australian and while I know many Americans recognize ABC as the American Broadcasting Company, the American network owned by Disney, but in Australia, we know ABC as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Aussie equivalent of the BBC. I also hear that an American organization that controls alcohol beverages also goes by ABC, but to them it stands for Alcohol Beverage Control. I'm sure there's more examples around the world of others using the letters ABC.
He looks like he's come to fix your TV, not rebrand the biggest network on it.
And regarding Gill, if we decided to destroy all art by artists with controversial views or private lives, there wouldn't be much worthwhile art left in the world.
The Gill statue on front of Broadcasting house has been covered up, and that whole entrance closed for the last two years however. No idea if they are repairing statue or removing. Either way it’s taking a strangely long amount of time.
That's interesting it's been covered up... seems like they're leaving it in limbo?
Martin was also integral with creating Spitting image, always saying in the credits "based on a lunch with Martin"
There were even sketches in the 90s making fun of his BBC 2 idents, like the 2 refusing to act so they resorted to Tony Slattery who gets covered in cyan paint
Fantastic tribute
At the end of the video I see him wearing a Blue Peter badge.
That ident was one he didn't invent. That was created by Tony Hart from Vision On.
Very good and interesting video.
he also did s4c idents in the 90s
14:20 “it all looks like it came from the same organisation” - can I offer a counterpoint out of left field? Making the core “BBC” brand so prominent might have had an unintended side-effect: It paints a big juicy target for the BBC’s enemies. Previously, some (not all) BBC properties were more well known for their own identities, at least as much or more than their BBC identity. Radio 1,2,3,4 etc, 5 Live, and probably others since forgotten like “Ceefax”.
Why does this matter? Well when the BBC has to go begging bowl in hand every few years, in a system that has to be that way because every alternative is worse, its fortunes rise and fall on the reputation of a single brand. When all the properties are labelled - prominently! - with the core brand, they can’t escape the rise or fall of the central reputation. People can’t talk about Radio 1 anymore without talking about “the BBC” and adding their thoughts of “the BBC” to the discussion - but they used to? It’s not all-or-nothing but it has changed by enough, that it impacts public support just enough, that it hurts political support just enough, that it cuts inflation funding enough to make cutbacks harsher.
Having multiple reputations via multiple identities isn’t necessarily a bad thing - that’s my premise, and that’s despite how much I love this rebranding. I was there 25 years ago cheering on Lambie-Nairn with these changes (and ESPECIALLY the News graphics and the music by David Lowe).
BBC is big enough to be decentralised, and big enough to have, if not need, multiple reputations. Don’t let the agonies of one department - however unjustified those fights are - drag down the rest of the corporation.
Martyn ive long been interested in presenttion idents and logos on tv and attempted to sketch them yers ago
I still miss him and the idents, but he’s the great father of idents.
He was at the two biggest reinventions, really, but 1997 was the really big one.
What a great video and little treasure there from the bbc..
I didn’t need to jump on the Hub to find the other meaning for BBC
Tho my eyes have ventured 😮😂
Nowadays there’s a modern trent to unite all the brands, and the 2021 BBC logo does that. I loved LMB’s work and I don’t think anything will better it for generations. But the current BBC branding is just fine.
is this film available to view in full anywhere? Perhaps on the Internet Archive? I know you said it’s quite short, so I feel like we’ve seen the most of it already, but it’s the kind of thing I find quite cosy to watch sometimes.
Martin did the GFX for the News at Nine in '88, one of his first works for The Beeb...
He also relaunched BBC News in 2000 and brought BBC News 24 (BBC News Channel) and BBC World News as part of the digital transformation and by that time, the BBC adopted the boxes not only for news but for BBC Radio, their digital channels, and everything else.
Fascinating
LWT Trish (know she done plenty of other narrative roles elsewhere too) certainly adds a nice narrator voice to the branding video.
Sir Martin Lambie Nairn? Just a thought
5:21 he looks a little like Barry Took there! Also this is the year that I was born!
Interesting they used all caps on the title of a show for trailers for promoting just one show but on a tv list they are normal
This man is a Frankenstein genius!
RIP Martin Lambie-Narin.
*Lambie-Nairn
What’s there to say on this man had hasn’t already been said? I mean, he’s responsible for amazing idents like the Channel 4 1982 ident and the BBC TWO 1991-2001 idents. R.I.P.
7:30 Bring Back Clarkson? 😂
😂😂
Funny but not the right answer. The right answer and probably TH-cam friendly answer is Big Black Chicken.
Hey, Adam, if you were to redesign any British Television logo which ine would it have been?
I love the BBC!
BBC stands for. . .
Big Brother Channel, Bring Back Classic, British Bulldog Costume Bad Boys Causing, Build By Cars, Broken Back Calling,
wow you can make any words for BBC 😂😂 7:30
The late great Kenny Everett once called it the British Bucket Company (on Big L Radio London) and he was the one to call it Auntie Beeb. 🤭🤣
BBC need to revisit his principles! It takes a strong leader to stop logo sprawl. Look at BBC worldwide making a mess of the BBC logo itself
Four score was written and composed by David Dundas .
Certainly was! Perfect track to go with Lambie-Nairns 4 record!
Might have been another one of those knighthoods that got away
The inclusion by Adam of an alternative Gen Z definition of ‘BBC’ is wholly irrelevant, and yet did give me a wry chuckle 😏
Expensive but highly profitable for the corporation
7:37 That has something to do with black man's myth that involves a mega dong.
7:30 Boring Brown Chocolate?
😂😂
Don’t you mean Bargain Basement Clothing
@@CricketEngland Nah, the acronym BBC clearly stands for Bringing Back Cookies.
@@JanTheAnimatorActual that doesn’t even make sense
Gill Sans everywhere # w #
11:34 Jesus Christ 😂
Came at the perfect time
I did aswell.
Now I can also stop kids from saying they were first
Tvi?
lambie-nairn the GOAT fr
fr fr
Fs Fs. (For Sure, For Sure)
From a great logo to a shit one.