BBC ONE launches new channel identity

BBC ONE has unveiled its new on-screen branding based around the symbol of a circle.

"In an increasingly competitive marketplace a channel needs to stand out from the crowd and I believe our new identity is just what's needed for BBC ONE," said Peter Fincham, controller, BBC ONE. "It's set in the everyday but shows people doing extraordinary things. It's got variety and range – everything from daredevil motorbikes to synchronised hippos. It's warm and it's dynamic.

"The circle, which is at the heart of this campaign, has been familiar to BBC ONE viewers over the years, but what we've got here is modern, forward looking and surprising."

A new logo and softer typeface has been designed for BBC ONE, and the colour red has been maintained from the existing identity.

The new channel identity will launch on air on the morning of Saturday 7, October 2006.

The idents are as follows

Bikes

Filmed at Shepperton Studios, three bikers perform in a perfect circle of gravity-defying riding.

Ring a Roses

A group of children playing Ring a Roses in a field send a perfect cloud of petals into the air to land around them in a circle. Filmed in the wild flower meadow of an historic garden at Coton Manor, Coton, Northants.

Kites

A group of stunt kite flyers in sand dunes manage to tame the wind enough to fly their kites in circular formation. Filmed on Ynyslas beach in Borth, Wales, using leading members of the Turbulence kite group, an award-winning group of surf, power, stunt and extreme kite flyers.

Moon

A large group of people in fishing boats take out the moon as dusk falls and piece it together on the horizon. Filmed on location on the Kamenjak peninsula in North Croatia.

Surfer

Four surfers riding big waves come together to ride one giant perfect tube. Filmed at Puerto Escondido on Mexico's West Coast, famous for its regular big surf. The first time 35mm cameras mounted on remote Libra heads on jetskis have been used to shoot at the foot of such big waves. Starring Carlos "Coco" Nogales, Mexico's leading big wave "tow-in" surfer, a former street kid from Mexico City.

Windows

Residents of an apartment block find that by opening and closing their windows to create flashes of sunlight they can create a spiralling circle of light. Filmed at the Greenwich Millennium Village, a new housing development built with an ecology park next to the Thames path.

Football

Twenty-two players come together at a centre circle to pass footballs with mathematical precision, climaxing in 144 footballs being passed in a seamless circle. Filmed at Haberdasher Estate, London, N1.

Hippos

A fantastical exploration of what it would look like if adult hippos could swim. The action climaxes with synchronized swimming in a circle. The 3D hippos were created by Framestore CFC, the team behind the famous 'Walking With' series led by Mike McGee.

Naomi Gibney, head of marketing, BBC ONE adds: "In developing the new BBC ONE identity, the key for me was simplicity.

"Out of an incredibly challenging brief, Red Bee has created a simple, true, idea with the branding at the heart of the execution.

"We chose this idea from Red Bee as it celebrated BBC ONE's unique ability to bring people together, and their executions beautifully convey magical moments when this happens."

Tim Davie, director, marketing, communications and audiences says: "The strength of the idea is its simplicity. It creates an identity for BBC ONE that is absolutely true to its heritage but it's wonderfully modern."

The new identity has been created by Red Bee Media and the executive creative director is Charlie Mawer.

Charlie Mawer says: "We wanted to design idents that were simple enough to act as a strong branding device but rich and complex enough to reward repeat viewing.

"We deliberately collaborated with a varied group of directors and post production companies to bring this vision to the screen."

The directors were Howard Greenhalgh for Surfer, Football and Moon; Stuart Douglas for Bikes and Ring a Roses; Matthias Hoene for Windows and Kites; and Charlie Mawer and Mike McGee for Hippos.

The music is composed by Imran Hanif, designers are Grant Gilbert and Amy Doherty and the typeface was created by Jason Smith at Fontsmith.