BBC


 * BBC Cult
 * BBC Logo Gallery, 625.uk.com
 * The BBC logo history

19??–196?


The first version of the boxed logo appeared on the television ident in 1962. The boxes were upright squares while the letters were slanted.

196?–197?


Soon the boxes also become slanted.

197?–19??


The BBC logo was altered slightly by letting the boxes have rounded corners.

During the 1970s, the corporate logo was gradually phased out on television in favour of specific logos for BBC1 and BBC2.

1988–1997


A new corporate logo was adopted in 1988. It was designed by Michael Peters. The coloured lines under the logo could respresent both the three colours of the television picture, as well as the colours for the UK nations, Sctoland (blue), Wales (red) and Northern Ireland (green). The logo for BBC Scotland, BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland had all lines in the national colour.

This logo wasn't seen in television idents until 1991, when both BBC1 and BBC2 were overhauled.

1997–


The the mid-90s, the BBC was due to launch a bunch of new channels, and a need to oversee the corporation's image was identified. The old BBC logo was problematic in several ways. It didn't really work on screen, the underlying lines and the counters would disappear if it was rendered to small. The diagonal logo didn't work alongside upright fonts either. There were also dozens of different logos for different services, and they weren't following a consistent theme.

Lambie-Nairn created a new single-colour corporate logo where the boxes and the lettering had been straightened up and the lines abolished. "BBC" was written in the Gill Sans font.

All logos for the various BBC services would now follow a consistent scheme with the service name written in Gill Sans to the left of the BBC logo. The values and personality of the different service brands would be communicated in other ways.

The new logo made its debut on October 4, 1997 on all BBC services.