Design trio aid BBC’s overhaul

The BBC is working on a host of design projects at strategic, branding, visual identity and internal communications levels, including overhauling the BBC1 and BBC2 identities, Design Week can reveal.

Interbrand is working on a farreaching strategic review that goes to the heart of what the BBC is and does, as well as how it expresses its brand values.

Art and media correspondent Nick Higham made reference to the “confidential” project in a speech at the official opening of Interbrand’s new London office last week.

Higham described taking part in brainstorming sessions with Interbrand that look at the BBC’s future direction. Interbrand declines to comment and a senior BBC spokesman was unable to confirm or deny its involvement as Design Week went to press.

However, he confirms that Lambie-Nairn is working on the visual identities for BBC1 and BBC2. “We have asked [it] to look at updating the visual identities. That doesn’t necessarily mean creating new ones. We are pretty open about investigating all ideas,” he says.

Lambie-Nairn was appointed following a pitch that included the BBC’s recently-formed in-house design consultancy BBC Media Arc. The spokesman refuses to be drawn on details of the pitch.

He stresses that the project is at a very early stage and declines to comment on when new work will launch.

BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey has made no secret of her view that the BBC1 balloon identity is slow and irrelevant to viewers (DW 26 January). However, the BBC2 “number 2” device is well known to be popular with the public.

The BBC is also working on an internal communications programme with Enterprise XP division Banner McBride. The consultancy refuses to discuss its work and the BBC spokesman was unable to confirm or deny its relationship with it.