Opportunities and Limitations of Ident Design

Opportunities
The sudden growth in the number of
channels has made a TV ident a required
part of broadcasting. It ensures the
channel has a set identity and portrays
its values. These values are now an
important part of a channel, as it helps
define the target audience. The values
represented may relate particularly to
one age group etc. more than another
and this will help in defining who the
channel is aiming its programming at. In
comparison to the 1980s, where there
were a maximum number of 4 channels, this brand identity was significantly less clear or
required due to the lack of choice or specialist genre from a channel. This increased number of
channels also leads to an increase in the TV employment sector. If a TV ident particularly
appeals to a certain group of people, this demographic is more likely increase brand loyalty and
automatically view this channel regardless of what may be shown simply because the channel is
aimed at that particular viewer. Idents are also important in reminding the viewer that the
television is on and make the audience aware of what they are viewing, as increasing numbers
of the audience view television whilst multitasking. Techniques such as increasing the volume of
the ident or the continuity announcement may aid in gaining attention as well as creating an
eye catching ident. The idea of a sting aka a short ident is represented by the definition of
physical sting itself aka short and sharp, and therefore attracting attention.

Creation of Corporation Identity

A corporate identity can be created through the use of on-screen
graphics. This is an opportunity because they are able to visually
communicate the aims, mission and values of a company.
Corporate identities are the parent companies of their subsidiaries
brand identities. An example of this is BBC. Its brand identities
are BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three and BBC Four.
As previously mentioned in the History of Idents, the very first
BBC ident of Bat Wings established the corporation identity of the BBC from the very start. The
rotational, circular movement of the sphere represented the world while the bat wings
represented sonar waves and satellite communication. In context now, in relation to the BBCs
current mission and values, they have displayed what they are all
about. Communication and the world connote international
bonds and this links in with their current mission: to be the most
creative organisation in their world. Their aim to inform, educate
and entertain was not prevalent in their very first idents, but now
that their corporation identity is established and audiences know
what the organisation provides them with, the idents simply reinforce
their identity visually.

Branding of Content
Branding of content is the idea that a channel is known for the programmes that it broadcasts.
For example: MTV channel with a programme called MTVs Top Hits. The content of that
channel has been branded in its title so that it is clear to the target audience what channel it has
been broadcast from.
The traditional meaning of branding relates to the use of a heated iron that leaves a mark on an
object. The logo of a channel, which represents the channels mission, aims and values as well as
being the main focus in the channels idents, is often stamped in the corner of the screen during
programmes aired on that channel. An obvious example is:
These are clear representations of branding content. An opportunity of branding within on-screen
graphic representation is that it promotes the channel content as well as the brand or corporate
identity.

On-screen graphic representation enables an opportunity to encourage brand loyalty. A corporate

identity must first set its aims, mission and values. It is then the duty of the ident to transmit these
over a long period of time, keeping them exactly the same. If the audience is satisfied with the
products and services they are provided with, they are more likely to stay and grow with the
organization. This all boils down to consistent themes and ideas conveyed through the ident that
encourages brand loyalty. This loyalty is important to maintain high viewing figures. As
mentioned many times, the BBC is renowned for this and although they dont make money
through advertising, their established brand loyalty means viewers continue to pay their license
fee, which in turn funds the BBC.

Appeal to target audience

Idents are typically aimed at certain
demographics, such as age and gender.
However, some on-screen graphics are of
places rather than people, which brings in
the idea of psychographics. On-screen
graphics give you the opportunity to appeal
to a target audience in various ways.
Comedy Central London City ident the city
is actually graphic animation as the logo hits
the Gherkin and it wobbles. This is quite
comedic in that obviously this could never
happen. This suggests that the programmes
on the channel are targeted at people who
have an interest in comedy hence the channel name: Comedy Central. The idea that the ident
shows the city of London could be an indication that men or women living in London (i.e.
demographics geographical location) would enjoy watching this channel or have a better
interaction perhaps because of English jokes made within the programmes, as an example.
Other idents normally use colours to suggest the intended demographic audience and objects to
imply psychographics of the audience.
An example is The BBC Three Kick Step Turn Ident.
https://youtu.be/hqRDBcNV9_Y

Encouraging Brand Loyalty

Creating corporate identity Idents are often used to create a brand identity for a channel, most of
which are recognised as the logo. These are often based on the channels values/remits which
express what kind of content they show and how they aim to show it. An example of this is this
ITV ident which has a very
calm and relaxed video, with
nice lighting and bold but
subtle typography. This
relates to their remit which
states Boldness, Excellence
and Integrity
Creating a brand and
encouraging brand loyalty
Different consumers have a
preferred list of stores and
brands that they remember
and prioritize. Consumers can give you plenty of reasons why these brands have them hooked,
including the quality of the product, customer service, consistently pleasant experience, etc. If the
consumers offer specific reasons as to why they love a brand, it means the company has
developed brand loyalty within their target audience.
Creating a brand and encouraging brand loyalty Brand loyalty is very important for a successful
business, as loyal consumers like to stick with what they know, they are dependable, repeat
customers. Consumer loyalty is also important because consumers talk to each other and spread
the word of the brand. An example of this is comedy central as they went from an average weekly
share of 0.3, to 0.4 over the span of a two weeks, (according to Barb) meaning more people are
watching the channel and being influenced by brand loyalty.

Limitations
As well as the range of advantages associated with idents, there are also some limitations. The
designer of the ident may be challenged in effectively portraying the values and ideas of a channel
simply through a graphic medium clearly. This means a designer must have a create approach to
the task and may have to portray a deep meaning in a relatively simplistic and short way. Idents
often come as part of a package or suite. These also usually match the overall image of a brand,
e.g. it will have to match the brand logos, colour scheme and represent their values appropriately.
Ensuring continuity throughout all of these graphics is likely to pose a challenge to a designer.
On top of the design process, the broadcasting also adds limitations. Many idents must be
designed in 4:3 for effective broadcasting although it may be viewed on different aspect ratios on
widescreen or online. Images can also become deformed through the broadcast system as it is
encoded and then back again for it to be viewed on TV. The screen resolution used by the designer
may not be representative of the resolution of televisions etc. Moire fringing may also occur if
lines or certain graphics are represented in a particular way. This is an issue which would require
the designer to test their work, which would be time consuming. Examples of this effect can be
seen below.

Enhancing ideas and pushing technology

Creative communication involves enhancing ideas. The availability of new and up-to-date
software allows you to creatively convey your ideas, which was almost impossible to achieve
effectively in the past, simply because of the technology. The advancement in technology allows
you to enhance these ideas by pushing technology and graphic designers are doing this with on-
screen graphics. Lambie Nairn created the floating puzzle ident for Channel 4. It uses our natural
inquisitiveness as humans to watch the pieces form the puzzle together and make the 4. Once it
is over, viewers sit there thinking how clever and cool it was and by the time theyve realized it,
the ident is over and the programme next up on the channel has already started, meaning that it
is highly likely the viewer stays and watches it. This ident is very clever in that respect and the
initial idea of it has been enhanced through the push of technology. The floating puzzle ident is
still used today for Channel 4 idents but a development over the years shows that it has had
creative enhancements made to it to make it look more visually dynamic.

Communicating visuals ideas to a non-visual audience

It is a natural human trait for us to prefer to watch
something that is aesthetically appealing whilst still
informing us because many of us become bored of having to
read and understand lots of words. Idents are mostly made
up of visuals and this better appeals to audiences when
various colours, animation and special effects are used.
Technology allows us to spread this visual information
quicker and easier, as idents are quite short in duration but
still convey a brand identity, their aims and values. Non-
visual audiences, such as the visually impaired, are unable to communicate with idents visually,
so voiceovers and audio descriptions are used to decipher the visuals. Again, this was not available
in the past so now, graphic designers have to carefully consider this when designing idents. Can
it be interpreted via audio just as idents are interpreted visually? The visually impaired may not
interpret the ident in the same way a non-visually impaired person would so music with the ident
is very important. This will allow the visually impaired viewers to engage with the ident as they
cannot engage visually. In addition, catchy theme tunes that are recognisable to different
channels allow both visual and non-visual audiences to remember the channel. The louder-than-
normal volume of this audio also attracts the attention of both visual and non-visual audiences.

Creating under pressure of time and budget

Graphic designers have
deadlines for when the idents
are needed in order to
broadcast them on television.
This is a pressure of time on the
production process. If designers
lose track of time and dont
meet the deadline or rush any of
the pre-production processes, it
does not only affect them but
the whole corporation. Time is
money and if they dont keep to
schedule, money losses will
result in designers having to pay
for the time and money lost. A budget also pressurises designers because they are limited to how
far they can go with the high quality resources (which are more expensive) or whether they only
have enough money for low/middle quality resources. Bigger budgets are ideal because designers
do not have to be cautious about using particular (better) resources. The amount of money put
into an ident is usually clear but this does not mean it is a better ident. If it does not create a
corporate identity, convey the organisations aims and mission, then it is unlikely to be successful
in promoting the channel, making it a waste of time and money.

Appealing to target audience and appreciation of desired tone

As mentioned many times, it is important that idents appeal to their intended audience because
that is who they were made for. Idents establish a company and aim to portray a company via
on-screen graphics such as idents. If this is not done correctly or if the audience is unable to
connect with the corporate identity through the ident, the organisation is diminishing their
chances of creating brand loyalty. They need to create visual interpretations of their corporation
in an aesthetically dynamic way. A designer has to take into
consideration what desired tone he/she is using to
communicate with the audience. It is clear that the higher
viewing figures there are, the more money received and the
better chances of brand loyalty. If the tone is not
communicated effectively to the audience or is conveyed in the
wrong context, this will result in a decrease in viewing figures.
BBC aim to appeal to a mass audience so it is difficult for
audiences to appreciate the various tones of BBC brand identities. However, because they are
different, in the same way that they link back to the corporation identity, each tone works well to
target a different audience. Therefore, it is vital that designers design idents with careful
consideration of speed, colour, space, purpose and of course, tone. This attention to detail will
result in a successful ident that attracts the audience and represents the corporate or brand
identity.