We took the popular youth channel from terrestrial TV to its new home in the digital world.
BBC Three was about to undergo a dramatic shift from being a terrestrial TV channel to becoming an online entertainment hub.
We were briefed to bring to life the two channel pillars “Makes Me Laugh, Makes Me Think” in a way that would allow the brand to exist across a multitude of platforms and devices rather than simply on a television channel.
OUR INSIGHT
BBC Three was moving from the safety of a dedicated TV home to full time residence in the ‘wild west’ of the digital world.
The more a brand lives in the atomised digital universe, the less amount of ‘pure brand space’ it has.
The challenge with truly social video is that the more successful a brand, the more it is shared. The more it is shared, the more the brand drops away.
A BIG PLAY FOR THE SMALL SCREEN
We started from the smallest possible place and built out from there. If the brand was to succeed in a social video world, then it needed to work hard as a YouTube thumbnail and on the smallest screens.
We talked about the new logo as a ‘stamp’ - something that would bond to the content, then get out of the way.
We also designed a mnemonic - especially relevant given the network’s sister radio station, Radio1, would play an active role in cross-promotion.
When we have more brand space, we stitch together our animations into longer form brand idents.
The graphics package needed to work just as hard and be a true multiscreen solution.
And we passed the YouTube thumbnail test we set for ourselves. The brand’s smart, small logo and punchy colour scheme stands out in a sea of video content.
Outcome
The new BBC Three brand was born in - and made for - the multiscreen world.
Since the rebrand a number of BBC Three programmes have been permanent fixtures in BBC iPlayer's most popular shows with all episodes of Thirteen, Sex In Strange Places, Cuckoo and Life And Death Row featuring in the top five.