AS1 - Task Three - Understanding The Design of a Suite of Television Idents

Understanding The Design of a Suite

When a TV channel designs a new ident they create a suite instead of just designing one. A suite of idents is basically a group of all different ideas of idents that all have a similar theme that allows them to intertwine with one another. This is good because having a suite of idents allows there to be a variety that can provide increased interest to the audience and having a single theme allows them to maintain brand identity.
  For example BBC1's idents work best when trying to understand suites because the BBC are the one organisation that don't have adverts so they have to have a lot of idents to analyse. BBC1 have a theme of circle idents which repeats in each individual one. Here are some examples:

As you can see, the theme of the suite is circles. This theme appeals to the viewers because its very generic, it can target any audience because no one has anything against circles; everyones likes them. I believe they symbol an infinitive sign because they are never ending. BBC1 have used this ident in different ways by using things such as the moon that already have a circle shape and if they don't already have a circle shape such as the gardens, they create one or morph into one.
Other than the gardens one that has Dr Who featured in it, i think the rest of the idents are entertainment led because they're fun to watch. Same with the time schedule I believe that all of them other than the Dr Who one can be shown at any given time because they are all chilled out and relaxed. The Dr Who ident should be shown just before or after the show has previewed because some people may get very excited over Dr Who and seeing a glimpse of his face will get them excited before the watch the show. However, there are some idents that are intended to be used at a particular time of year, for example christmas ones or children in need ones.

The suite of circles convey a message of calmness across the channel implying that the channel is often viewed mostly when you're trying to relax so you can watch your soap operas. Those soaps being Eastenders, Holby City etc. I think the design of the suite is very effective because of those reasons and each ident is no longer than 30 seconds.

AS1 - Task Two - Understanding The Limitations of the Television Ident

Colour

The colours within an ident are used as an identity for the channel that its on because the colours of the company are unique to them. In order to cater to everyone's needs the colours need to be vibrant so they are able to be seen by the colour blind or people with impaired eyesight, this may mean that some colours may be preferred but not able to be of use because they may not cater to the minority. Various idents may need to be tested because some colours come out differently on screen, so this may lead to redesigning the entire ident.

Although this is a limitation, the positive of this could be that due to being limited to vibrant and ordinary colours, they are widely recognised throughout the whole country. Colours such as: red, blue yellow etc. This could make the ident more memorable because they used simple colours. 

Adhering To a Desired Tone

Idents have different tones depending on the type of channel that its on. Idents correspond the channels genre because it gives an insight to what the channel is about. For example, BBC3 has a bubble effect on one of its ident and bubbles are seen as quite childish, this would be because shows such as Family Guy, American Dad and Two Pints of Lager would show on this channel. This limits the design of an ident because they have to stick to a particular idea. If there was an amazing ident idea for a channel like BBC 2, chances are it won't fit the genre because BBC 2 is generally just about documentaries so you have to stay in that territory.

However, this could be a positive because it shows off the company's name and shows the directors initiative. By showing off the company's name it allows viewers to become more familiar with the channel and therefore more likely to return.

Duration
Idents usually last for about a minute, and the reasons for this is because idents are used to fill gaps. Filling gaps could be if a show finished too early so in order to maintain the schedule they put an ident on instead of a blank screen, could include information of whats on for the next couple of shows. If idents lasted for 30 seconds, it wouldn't really cover any lost time because no one realises how fast 30 seconds go by, also 30 seconds is more of an advert rather than an ident. This is a limitation because you can't have any fast and snappy idents you always have to drag them out abit and usually the idents are repetitive so you will find that the same ident has played maybe more than 6 times a day. 

This could also be positive because like i've mentioned, it allows the viewers to become familiar with the channel and maybe even sing along to the music making the viewer happy.

Typography
Idents have to use imagery and small text in order to communicate with its viewers.This is a limitation because companies have to show who their channel is aimed towards and maintain the audience's interest just by using imagery. Due to the amount of time that idents are on screen, the designers have a tough job of presenting the ident in their ideal perspective, this includes translating text into a television screen. Some fonts will be displayed incorrectly causing the typography to appear pixelated.

The positive to typography is that although its difficult its definitely possible, so using unique typographical features allows the ident to create an attraction for viewers, communicate and state information all at the same time.

Aspect Ratio
Idents aspect ratio has an effect on the overall design of the ident. For example if the designer had an idea of a portrait ident, this wouldn't fit in because the average screen is rectangle so they would have to adjust the ident and change it to being landscape. This is not the only thing that aspect ratio limits. As designers they just assume that people are always watching their TV but that isn't the case, some people may be watching on a wider screen, HD TV, and this means that the ident will be translated differently depending on the viewers choice of application. Idents can be stretched out causing the picture to look distorted or squashed also ruining the picture. In some cases, it may be the case of not being able to show the ident.

AS1 - Task One - Understanding Television Idents

What is a channel ident? A channel ident is usually a piece of media in the form of an image or a video that is shown before the start of a new programme. What is the purpose of an ident? The purpose of idents is to kill spare time due to programmes either finishing early or because there wasn't enough news in that day. It can also be used to schedule for later that day. Identifying the channel... One of the purposes of a television ident is to identify the channel. The ident would stand as a symbol for the specific channel that it is designed for. The most famous idents would be: The BBC - BBC started off their idents journey with one that was nicknamed as 'batwings' back in 1953.  After their first ident, the BBC decided to then create their first logo in 1960 which still stands as their logo in 2016.  Below you will find other famous idents: E4 - Disney Channel - Idents have been developed at great amounts over the years as new technologies have been evolved; they have played a significant role in the development of idents. Organising the Schedule Idents are important when keeping a channels schedule organised. Idents are the perfect opportunity to provide information about the upcoming shows and programmes on that channel; having this information may encourage the viewer to continue watching because they are aware of what is on, and if its something they watch religiously then they will remain on the channel. Segmentation of the Scheduling Channels like the BBC don't have adverts which is why we pay for our TV licence. However other channels such as channel 4 and ITV do provide advertisements because they're commercial channels. Idents therefore add time between programmes to provide information, regulate scheduling, provide knowledge of variety programming and it gives studio workers like news and sports broadcaster a break. Creating Corporate Identity TV channels have now become international so they aren't restricted to one country as you can see. Therefore having an ident contributes to having an international brand. If there is consistency across a range of channels it helps to establish an identity that can be sold internationally. Growing online platforms such as All 4 is vital to maintain the image of the brand. Creating a Brand and Encouraging Brand Loyalty  Creating your own brand for certain channels is important because it encourages people to stay loyal to that particular. An ident allows the brand to be advertised and allows the audience to become familiar with the style of the channel. By advertising the ident religiously, it imprints the brands image in the audiences mind and making them more likely to return to that channel again. Creating The Right Tone and Appealing To The Target Audience Idents set the right tones for the channel and appeals to its target audience, for example; cbeebies idents are very childish and colourful because children watch that channel. The ident not only stands as a brand identifier but it also gives information about that channel, it reflects the type of programmes that are shown on it. Its also important because it caters to different age groups, religions and preferences. Branding of Particular Content Particular content provides a regular theme across various platforms. This purpose of an ident can identify a particular program that belongs to the channel that its on therefore branding the content to that channel. For example: The Voice A Marketing Opportunity  An ident is often used as a clever promotion tool, almost like an advertisement. Could be a preview of the shows that are going to show on that channel. For example the Sky Christmas ident. Packaging and Re-packaging A Series of Programmes Or Event Idents have been known to promote a new series of programmes or promoting events that show on that channel. For example the children in need ident on BBC.