Designing BBC Store – the broadcaster’s pay-to-download service

101 has designed the look and feel, user journey and launch campaign for BBC Store, working with Ostmodern on site build.

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The BBC is launching BBC Store – an online service that lets people buy and download programmes from across the broadcaster’s archive.

BBC Store hosts programmes from the day after they have been shown on TV and also features a range of BBC archive programming.

It will run alongside the existing BBC iPlayer streaming service, which will show BBC programme from the past 30 days for free. After this, programmes will be available to buy on BBC Store.

Taking cues from iPlayer

Designs for BBC Store have been created by 101, which worked with Ostmodern on the platform build.

101 has worked on the site designs, user journey and launch campaign for BBC Store, with designer Dave Allen working across the project.

The BBC Store takes many of its design cues from iPlayer, which is described by 101 founding partner Laurence Green as “the founding principle” for this project”.

Smooth user journey

Many of the BBC Store users are expected to come directly from iPlayer and BBC Store emulates some of its look and feel.

The BBC Store logo uses Frutiger, like the iPlayer logo, while both sites feature a black colours scheme – with BBC Store using blue elements and iPlayer using pink.

101 founding partner and creative director Mark Elwood says: “We didn’t want to completely jar the journey from iPlayer to this paid space.”

“The crown jewels of the BBC”

The BBC Store is browsable and features recommended programming. It also features sections of grouped content, such as a “Celebrating Sir David Attenborough” section and a “Dennis Potter at the BBC” section.

Elwood says: “Throughout the project we wanted to signify that the BBC owns all this great content. When you look at it its really like the crown jewels of the BBC.”

The launch campaign also takes its cues from the iPlayer, which used the strapline “making the unmissable, unmissable”. BBC Store is launching with the slogan “making the unmissable ownable”.

Making the unmissable ownable

Green says: “We took inspiration from the iPlayer launch campaign and we wanted to show that you can now download this content and keep it forever.”

He adds: “In terms of moving into a paid-for service – the BBC has been selling videos and DVDs of its content for years, so actually this isn’t so much of a step-change.”

BBC Store is launching online initially and the BBC says mobile and tablet apps will also be released.

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