Red Bee Media designs BBC’s London Calling on-screen identity

Red Bee Media has designed the BBC Global News and BBC Worldwide channel’s London Calling campaign and on-screen identity.

London Calling logo
London Calling logo

The London Calling season draws together London –related programmes such as live coverage of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, dramas Sherlock and Going for Gold, documentaries on London Underground and the Diamond Queen and World Shakespeare Festival, celebrating London in 2012.

Red Bee Media was appointed to the project at the end of 2011 without a pitch, having worked with the BBC on previous projects such as the BBC Knowledge campaign.

Milennium Bridge
Milennium Bridge

It was briefed to create a campaign logo, identity and brand film that brought ‘the City of 2012 to life’, according to Red Bee, showing iconic London landmarks such as the London Eye, to St Pauls and Tower Bridge.

Benvon Crumpler, vice-president of marketing at BBC Worldwide Channels, says, ‘The aim of the campaign is to celebrate all things London. The eyes of the world are on London this year, and although we’re not the official broadcaster internationally [for the Olympics] we still wanted to ensure the spotlight was on London for all of our regions.’

Cyclists
Cyclists

Joe Lee, Red Bee lead creative on the project, adds, ‘It was imperative to capture the icons  – that’s what people know about London outside this country. What we got from the brief was that energy and the sense of London coming alive this year.

‘With the logo there’s a slight nod to a graphic equalizer effect; and with the brand film we’re showing the side of London that’s a great place to spend time, shop and party.’

Southbank
Southbank

Seven 30-second vignette films are used as idents, each featuring a person describing what they love about living in London, including Louis Theroux, Zandra Rhodes, Benjamin Zephaniah, a London taxi driver and a pie and mash shop proprietor.

Crumpler says, ‘I think there are distinct local challenges with each of the areas we’re broadcasting in but we took a birds-eye view and researched peoples perceptions on London.’

She adds, ‘We wanted it to feel warm, inviting, friendly and passionate – those are the common elements throughout the campaign.’

London Calling launches across EMEA this weekend.

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