Designing the BBC is a compelling history of the groundbreaking work of the BBC's Television Graphic Design Department from 1954 to 2021.
Drawing on the unique content of the BBC Motion Graphics Archive and the first-hand perspectives of former BBC staff, this book provides a timely overview of more than 60 years of the BBC's innovative practice within motion graphics.
Former BBC staff and leading design and television studies scholars investigate the archive, bring cultural memories to life and reflect on the Graphic Design Department's lasting impact. They consider the graphic design of a range of TV genres, including household favourites such as Doctor Who; sports programming such as Grandstand and big sporting events like the Olympics; children's television including Grange Hill; popular science programmes such as Tomorrow’s World; news output such as The Nine O'Clock News, Election Night specials, the weather and the channel idents of BBC 2 and BBC One.
Foreword – Bernard Lodge Acknowledgements Introduction – Iain Macdonald & Paula Williams 1. Branding the BBC: The Cultural and Creative Impact of Identity – Paula Williams & Charlie Mawer 2. Painting With Sound – Melissa Morton 3. Consistency or Change? Top of the Pops’ Meandering Journey Towards a Sense of Self – Matthias Hillner 4. Blue Peter: ‘Here’s One I Made Earlier’ – Iain Macdonald & Kevin Hill 5. A Play in Themselves: Drama Titles & Graphics – Iain Macdonald & Iain Greenway 6. Doctor Who: Motion Graphics For A Time Lord – Iain Macdonald 7. Global Circulations, National Traditions: BBC Motion Graphics and Canadian Television – Andrew Burke 8. The Old School Cool: Youth Culture & Multiculturalism in Pre-2000s Britain – O Haruna Section II 9. No Width, No Speed. – Graham McCallum 10. A Hybrid Creator’s Tool: The Introduction of Quantel Paintbox – Margaret Harvey 11. Drawn to Paintbox – Morgan Almeida 12. The Best Technique For The Job: Making The Right Choices For The Right Reasons – Liz Friedman 13. BBC OU: Moving Education Design from Analog to Digital – Haydon Young 14. Digital Pathfinders: The BBC Computer Graphics Workshop 1980 to 1987 – Bill Gardner 15. BBC Sport: Of Dash and Dare – Steven Aspinall 16. ‘…and now for the News’: Television, Probably: The Age Of Cardboard – Brian Eley 17. Breakfast Time: To Infinity and Beyond – Terry Hylton 18. News 24/7 – Chyaz Buffett, Mark Chaudoir, Andy Davy, Ian Wormleighton, & Iain Macdonald Epilogue Appendix Timeline Index
Iain Macdonald is Associate Professor of Design at Maynooth University, Ireland. He is the author of Hybrid Practices in Moving Image Design (2016) and his research has been published in journals such as Visual Communication and the International Journal of Art and Design Education. Paula Williams is Course Leader of Advertising and Brand Design at Ravensbourne University London, UK. She is an award-winning creative director who worked as part of the BBC's and RedBee Creative's brand team and, later, as co-founder of Wonder Creative. She is a founding member of the BBC Motion Graphics steering group, responsible for creating a permanent archive at Ravensbourne University.
