For my media AS coursework I have decided to choose the
Silver Linings Production brief. Because the brief I have chosen is based
around creating television products I will be therefore be looking at what
elements make up a good and effective television logo but yet still at the same
time represents the company itself.
I believe that a logo must stand out from its competitors
but at the same time it must still look appealing for viewers to be drawn into
the channel. Logos are an important element that makes up a part of a
television company, the help people acknowledge the company or brand. I
personally feel that a logo should be simple and not have too much going on in
one frame. This is because you want people to quickly look at your logo and you
want them to be remembered what your logo represents and is promoting.
Modern television broadcasters aim to create simple and
memorable logos. They do this by either using a shape for the background then
adding text to the foreground, or they just simply use an acronym. Television
broadcasters often use shapes for the base of their logo because it sets their
logo out from them rest of them. Many traditional TV stations used a simple box
for their logo to fit into. A classic example of using a rectangular shape for
the base of their logo is the BBC.
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| ^^ BBC Logo ^^ |
The BBC uses a rectangular shape as the background for their
logo because it is a bold shape which supports their bold font choice in the
logo itself. By using a black rectangle with white squares it is easily
recognisable to people so they can quickly reference it to the television
station. The denotations that are picked up from this logo is that the logo is
a bold and a fairly simple logo. However by using such a bold and black
background it can also be viewed to be linked with power and supremacy which
demonstrates how this logo has its connotations. By using a black and white
colour scheme for the logo it creates a sense of trust and loyalty that the BBC
can provide to its audience. Black and white was the only colours that were
shown in the past before colour films were invented. So by sticking with this
black and white theme it portrays how the BBC has progressed through the ages
and is still broadcasting television programmes so because it has been doing it
for so long then they must be trusted to bring its viewers quality
entertainment.
The font used for the BBC logo is quite a bold and solid
font. A solid font has to be used in the creation of a logo, especially for one
that’s going to be shown to millions of people via a screen, so that the
audience can clearly see what company or brand is being advertised or promoted.
If the font is a thin font then people are going to have a hard time trying to
view the text. The font itself has to be quite a large font size. If the font
size is too small then people are not going to be able to see it especially if
the background consumes most of the canvas. The colour of the text is also a
significant factor that affects the look and appeal of your logo. The BBC used
a black colour for their font colour but because they had added the white
squares on top of their black background it meant that the black text did not
blend in with the background. So it is therefore that you choose a font colour
that does not blend in with the background of the logo. Because the foreground
of the logo usually contains the text input the text must be able to stand out
against the colour(s) of the background.
Another effective technique the BBC uses to create an
effective logo is the use of an acronym. Not many people and viewers of the
television station honestly know what the word “BBC” actually means. The
majority of people do not really care about what the backstory is behind the
company name. All people want to hear is the term they associate the channel
with. When people hear the word “BBC” they associate it with a successful TV
station that is trusted by many people. So by creating an acronym for their
channel it allows people to incorporate the channels names quickly into a
sentence. For example when two friend are having a conversation and are talking
about the latest TV programmes then they will not use the full TV stations
name, they will use the acronym they have learnt to come to terms with. During
a conversation not a single person would mention a channel called The British
Broadcasting Service, they will stick to using the acronym. Therefore the use
of an acronym is an effective technique to make your channel memorable to
people and makes it for people to relate to. This clearly shows that the BBC
stuck to the principle of keeping their logo simple.
The BBC used a bold font and a simple background because
they are not a channel which only broadcasts one type of television programmes,
they broadcast a whole genre of TV programmes so making their logo dedicated to
Si-Fi programmes would not give the public a clear view of what the channel
broadcasts and how simple the channel is.
Another example of a television channel using a shape for
their background is Food Network. Food Network have taken more of a traditional
approach when it came to creating their logo. Instead of copying the BBC with a
black rectangle as the background, Food Network have taken a different route
with their logo.
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| ^^ Food Network Logo ^^ |
By using a circle for
the canvas of their logo, Food Network is clearly demonstrating use of
connotations as the circle can represent the channel to be more rounded in a
specific field of television programmes. This is true because this channel is
always broadcasting food related TV programmes. Therefore the connotations
behind the use of the circle as the canvas if the logo is a clear
representation of the channel.
By not using an acronym in their logo as the BBC do for
theirs, it clearly presents to people
that this channel is for “food” related television programmes and nothing else.
This channel therefore is aiming to entice people who are interested in food
either as a passion or a hobby.
By using all lower case letters in the logo it demonstrates
the channel being more passive instead of being bold and in your face like the
BBC logo. By having the word “food” in a bigger font size it reinforces the
idea of this channel being dedicated to be broadcasting food related television
programmes. The word “network” is being presented to be more passive in the
logo itself as not many people care about the channel being a part of a
network, people are mainly drawn to this channel as the first thing they see
when they view this logo is the word “food”.
By actually stating what this channel is all about and not
using a provocative acronym like the BBC did, it clearly demonstrates what the
channel is all about and who the channel is aiming towards.
Unlike the BBC logo, the Food Network logo does not stick to
a traditional black and white colour scheme. Because this is quite a young and
modern channel the use of black and white colours being a part of the channel
logo would not fit their audience and their morals. The channel itself does
broadcast olden day cookery programmes, the channel focuses more on the
traditional cookery programmes and therefore if they did use a black and white
colour scheme then they would not be abiding to what they are currently
broadcasting as black and white is associated with the traditional era whereas
Food Network aim to appeal to the modern era.
