BBC reveals new logos in modernisation push

The new “simplified” designs have been influenced by audience research showing that the BBC’s previous look was “old fashioned”.

The BBC has revealed a series of new logos after audiences claimed that the previous look was “old fashioned and out of date”.

As well as a new BBC logo, the broadcaster has updated the identities of services such as iPlayer and BBC Sounds as well as its channels. The rebrand rolls out from today, though there will be further changes over the coming months.

bbc new logo
Courtesy of BBC

BBC chief customer officer Kerris Bright explains that the design updates are in line with the changing content and platforms offered by the broadcaster.

“How the BBC provides its services has changed dramatically in the last 20 years and it has been a long time since we updated the look and feel of the BBC,” she says.

The work is a collaboration between the BBC’s in-house teams and Wolff Olins, the BBC told Design Week. UX development for iPlayer and BBC Sounds was done in house.


Moving towards a “modern BBC”

new bbc one logo
Courtesy of BBC

Bright adds that audiences believed the former look was “out of date” and that viewers want a “modern BBC that is easier to use and navigate to find the content they love and enjoy”.

The new BBC logo was revealed earlier this year, and uses the BBC-owned font Reith, named after the BBC’s founder John Reith. The letters have been kerned so they sit wider apart. The redesign replaced the previous logo, which used Gill Sans.

BBC One, Two and Four all incorporate the new logo while Bright adds that the “junctions between TV programmes will use updated designs, with simplified navigation menus, and promotional content”.

In a video displaying these junctions, the logos and icons animate alongside idents.


“Join the dots between the different bits of the BBC”

bbc new logo
Courtesy of BBC

Services such as iPlayer, BBC Sounds, News, Weather, Sport and Bitesize now have a new look comprising simple graphic shapes. These all features three differently configured blocks in various colour combinations.

For example, streaming platform iPlayer’s logo features three blocks in a triangular ‘play’ formation in shades of pink. The blue blocks for BBC Weather’s icon resemble the rain symbol in weather reports.

new bbc logo
Courtesy of BBC

This is an attempt to “join the dots between the different bits of the BBC through simplified layouts and graphics”, Bright says. iPlayer and Sounds will change first, while News, Weather, Sport and Bitesize will follow after that, she explains.

As the content of digital services is changing, “it makes sense to modernise” these platforms as well, Bright adds. These updated colours, logos and graphics aim to “identify each service and help improve navigation between them”, she says.

new bbc logo
Courtesy of BBC

Services on TV, online and mobile will be updated throughout all nations, including BBC Scotland and BBC Alba.

The design update is ongoing, according to Bright, who explains that there will be more changes to the applications over the next six months as they are rolled out across channels. “It will be unmistakably BBC,” she says.


What do you think of the new BBC logos? Let us know in the comments below. 

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Comments
  • james Smith October 20, 2021 at 3:02 pm

    Logozila believe it is extremely important that some iconic brands, who have been around for decades, have changed their logos to show that they are paying attention to the current trends and consumer needs.

  • Karl Lee October 20, 2021 at 4:40 pm

    Please tell me that our license fees have not paid for this and if so, how much has it actually cost us?

  • Derek Watson October 21, 2021 at 8:53 am

    Anyone else reminded of the blocks which make up C4 logo and their stings?
    The BBC looks less clear and looks like it will fill in at small sizes… Reminds me of MLB who redesign BBC identity then came back and had to do another rebrand as it was costing too much to print!

  • Dani October 21, 2021 at 9:23 am

    This feels more visually connected with Channel 4’s idents…

  • Colin burns October 21, 2021 at 9:44 am

    BBC I player not a new look on my tablet

  • Colin burns October 21, 2021 at 9:47 am

    When I get my BBC I player new look on my tablet

  • David Hillman October 21, 2021 at 11:07 am

    What ever happened to conceptual design. Too much style, no content

  • CG October 21, 2021 at 5:08 pm

    This pretty much sums up the new ident:

    https://youtu.be/1EySLuYWTy0

  • Michael Dempsey October 22, 2021 at 8:51 am

    If only Martin Lambie-Nairn was still with us.

  • Michael Dempsey October 22, 2021 at 8:55 am

    It looks more like the logo created in the BBC series W1A. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSB5uSug6Lw

  • Richard Norman October 23, 2021 at 7:45 pm

    Absolutely horrendous. The new “logo” doesn’t even pass the minimum threshold for it to be copyrighted. My 5 year old son could have done better. The loss of BBC 4’s cube identity is a let-down in itself, and why on earth have the killed the overnight shutdown sequence with that lurid purple screen? Thank God CBBC and CBeebies haven’t been molested by the hand that designed these idents. What a waste of money.

  • DB October 24, 2021 at 9:52 pm

    Rubbish

  • DK Design Studio October 24, 2021 at 10:04 pm

    I am gobsmacked. This has no relevance to the BBC legacy at all. If you have to explain what each individual element means then you have missed the mark. Terribly disappointing!

  • Andrew Lashbrooke-Small October 25, 2021 at 6:33 pm

    Awful.

  • Dylan Lloyd-Edwards October 26, 2021 at 9:02 am

    Oh Dear…

  • Donna Cothliff October 27, 2021 at 8:29 pm

    What a load of rubbish especially the new BBC Four logo it’s too big and very annoying you can’t help but notice it and distracts you from enjoying watching the programme.

  • Richard Twiddy November 1, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    I wonder how many meetings they had about this? What a waste of time and money! Modern? The logo is very similar to the ’50s or 60’s. I hardly watch the BBC any longer. They are no longer impartial and don’t cater for any other opinions. Where is the debate about important matters? Too many overpaid people making money from the licence payers who have no choice in the matter. Maybe time to throw my tv in the bin! It’s sad – I used to think the BBC were the best in the world.

  • Farnsworth November 6, 2021 at 10:39 pm

    The superimposed BBC Four logo in the upper left of programming is now much larger and less transparent than the old logo. I know the BBC is proud of their new design, but does it have to be so “in your face” that it distracts from the content, and burns into my OLED tv? Take it down a notch please, or even better, make BBC Four “dog free” like BBC1 and BBC2. We already know which channel we are watching without the dog.

  • Guy Smith November 10, 2021 at 10:31 am

    My 5 year old

  • Alan Keysell February 8, 2022 at 5:18 pm

    Who gave them permission to change the logo on my lap top as I certainly didnt.

  • eurisko March 22, 2022 at 10:34 pm

    The iPlayer logo being played with like pieces of lego. Try animated and there’s not a lot you can do. This sketch is so funny that’s its complete nuts.

    https://youtu.be/EOZmxz-cYmI

  • Jeff May 26, 2022 at 10:27 am

    If it wasn’t for the text beneath the logos, I would have no idea what they mean. Suggestion: remove “BBC” from the text: i.e. call them ‘News’, ‘Weather’, ‘iPlayer’, etc. It would look neater on my phone.

  • Jeff May 26, 2022 at 10:36 am

    Just realised … The logos on my phone are different from those on my PC : ± the text “BBC”. How cool is that ?

  • Kathleen Brown November 18, 2022 at 10:55 am

    The radio station black logos which appear on my TV screen ( no digital signal here so use internet on smart TV) are SO depressing. Why no colours?

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