BBC Four: 2021 Rebrand

[JohnnySmith]

Ok, so this will be a reasonably unpopular opinion, but I like channel DOGS.

There is no full explanation (that makes sense) but I just think it's right. The line is drawn at BBC Three's 2008 DOG, and there are worse. But there is just a really weird warmth about them to me.

From the pov of someone who hates DOGS, a good thing that has come out of BBC Four's new DOG is that it has brought the Threetime's DOG into line, which is much better than its predecessor.

[PATV Scunthorpe]

I think [mention]VMPhil[/mention] has it about right, I have also been having a go at a recreation, trying different sizes and layouts, and I think the right option is the same size as the BBC Scotland channel... it isn't too large, but not too small that it is the same size as The BBC lettering, which looks a slight bit awkward.

[JetixFann450]

The line is drawn at BBC Three's 2008 DOG, and there are worse.

Suppose we all forget that back in 2005, BBC Three basically replaced the "Gill Sans" BBC THREE dog with a shockingly huge DOG that looks like someone took the blue away from the 2003 logo and used that as a transparent DOG.



Didn't last long, I believe. Might've been a week or two before they reduced its size after a few complaints were given to the BBC about it.
Their response?

In a world where international terrorism, indiscriminate murder and global poverty are facts of life, you might think people would have more important things to worry about than little logos in the top corner of their television screen

This was back when BBC Three had a "news" section that was quite... sarcastic and sadonistic. No surprise they ended up cleaning their act and soon enough shrank it down.

[Stuart]

I really don't want to delve into a 'DOG debate' as we went over that many times over at the blue place.

However, eventually even Sky realised that DOGs were unnecessary on their main channels for more than 20 seconds after a commercial break.

If people don't know what channel they're watching (if it even matters), then there are buttons on the remote control to provide the information without cluttering up the screen for other viewers because of their own short term memory issues.

[dbl]

If people don't know what channel they're watching (if it even matters), then there are buttons on the remote control to provide the information without cluttering up the screen for other viewers because of their own short term memory issues.

I don't think it's even that anymore, it's reinforcing your brand in the age of social media and memes.

https://i.imgur.com/bBgLpvH.gifv

[VMPhil]

The line is drawn at BBC Three's 2008 DOG, and there are worse.

Suppose we all forget that back in 2005, BBC Three basically replaced the "Gill Sans" BBC THREE dog with a shockingly huge DOG that looks like someone took the blue away from the 2003 logo and used that as a transparent DOG.



Didn't last long, I believe. Might've been a week or two before they reduced its size after a few complaints were given to the BBC about it.
Their response?

In a world where international terrorism, indiscriminate murder and global poverty are facts of life, you might think people would have more important things to worry about than little logos in the top corner of their television screen

This was back when BBC Three had a "news" section that was quite... sarcastic and sadonistic. No surprise they ended up cleaning their act and soon enough shrank it down.

I think the screenshot you've posted is from in-between changes they made to it - when it was first introduced it was extremely bright, almost opaque. It looks like they'd toned it down by the time of your screenshot.

After this they then reduced the size of the "THREE" text which meant it didn't match the logo properly but at least it wasn't as in your face.

That screenshot is a good reminder that all DOGs used to be in the 4:3 safe area too, so on widescreen TVs were a lot more annoying and intrusive than now, when they're all safely tucked into the 16:9 corner and avoid obscuring people's heads (only exception was E4 which from the start always had their DOG in the corner on 16:9 broadcasts).

[GraphicsMan]

If people don't know what channel they're watching (if it even matters), then there are buttons on the remote control to provide the information without cluttering up the screen for other viewers because of their own short term memory issues.

I'm fairly certain that DOGS aren't just there to remind viewers what channel they're watching. If that were the case why have a DOG on the iPlayer stream? It's probably more to do with watermarking the content so that it can't be used elsewhere without showing the source of the material.

[Stuart]

It's probably more to do with watermarking the content so that it can't be used elsewhere without showing the source of the material.

Most programmes are now made by independent production companies, so surely the watermarking of any recording shown elsewhere is quite irrelevant at any later date?

Oh no, we're going down the 'DOG Debate' rabbit hole. :?

[Neil Jones]

I can't be 100% sure but I believe the brightness of this DOG has been toned down ever so slightly. Still far too big though.

[BeebBoy]

Watching 'Death of a Salesman' in 4:3 right now and set against a mostly black background: the logo is very distracting and incredibly annoying - it's plastered across the actors' faces at times. A triumph of marketing idiocy over common sense. It doesn't happen on Sky Arts so why the hell do we have to put up with it on the BBC?! ??

[Internationalman]

Watching 'Death of a Salesman' in 4:3 right now and set against a mostly black background: the logo is very distracting and incredibly annoying - it's plastered across the actors' faces at times. A triumph of marketing idiocy over common sense. It doesn't happen on Sky Arts so why the hell do we have to put up with it on the BBC?! ??

I don’t really see the problem with the DOG, but… okay.

[Flux]

Watching 'Death of a Salesman' in 4:3 right now and set against a mostly black background: the logo is very distracting and incredibly annoying - it's plastered across the actors' faces at times. A triumph of marketing idiocy over common sense. It doesn't happen on Sky Arts so why the hell do we have to put up with it on the BBC?! ??

I don’t really see the problem with the DOG, but… okay.

Agreed. In fact, it's very rarely that I have a problem with any DOG and I don't usually find them distracting at all - they just blend into periphery within a few minutes. Maybe growing up with the likes of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network which had big, bold, opaque DOGs from the off has desensitised me to them.

[Robert Williams]

Is it partly an age thing? I grew up in the age of three, then four, analogue channels, when the idea of a channel permanently displaying its logo just didn't exist. I think I first became aware of the concept in 1992 when Radio Times printed a letter from somebody complaining that S4C had taken to showing a 'small but irritating logo' in the corner of the screen all the time - except, of course, during the adverts. This sounded to me like a very unwelcome development, and hoped it wouldn't spread to other channels - which of course, with the explosion in the number of channels available, it eventually would, though thankfully BBC1 and BBC2 still remain DOG-free.

The problem with BBC Four's new DOG is that what was just about the smallest and unintrusive DOG possible has been replaced by a much brighter logo that shouts the word 'FOUR' at you in unnecessarily large letters - it's gone from being one of the least distracting DOGs to one of the most.

[Jonny]

Remember someone likening DOGs to leaving the stickers advertising features on your new TV.

ITV, C5 and Sky all provide good compromise examples I can certainly live with.

The BBC Four one is out of kilter with the new design system, so it's odd just from a design choice point of view. "FOUR" set at the same height as the "BBC" letters would be OK.

[Joe]

I mean, I don’t mind on screen logos that much, but given a choice I’d elect not to have them. In this social media age, they’re not so noticeable - everything is usually badged up as it is, and you don’t think about it so much.

Having said that, I tolerate it more on, say, factual stuff than dramas. It is a little annoying that a director has spent time crafting the perfect shot, only for it to then be undermined by a logo. And similarly, the perfectionist in me hates that when a different aspect ratio is used, a logo sometimes ends up cutting across the black bar and looking a bit ugly.

As I say… it’s not that big a deal to me.