Logo Research | Media Coursework

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.

^^ 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.

^^  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.