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.
1. Foreword – Bernard Lodge (ex-BBC) 2. Introduction – editors Iain Macdonald (Maynooth University) & Paula Williams (Ravensbourne University) 3. A User’s Guide to the BBC Motion Graphics Archive i) A Brief History of the Making of the BBC Motion Graphics Archive - Ryan Shand (Ravensbourne University) 4. Brand New Concepts i) You’re watching…evolving channel idents - Paula Williams (Ravensbourne University) ii) History in the making – covering national events – TBC iii) Breaking News – new practices influence other programmes – Morgan Almeida (exBBC) & TBC 5. Pioneers and Influences i) Doctor Who: TV drama spans the decades through technological innovation – Iain Macdonald with Bernard Lodge ii) Grandstand – sporting excellence on the Olympic podium – Paul Mitchell and Iain Macdonald (Maynooth University) iii) Comic Strip – Grange Hill, graphic storytelling with animation – Liz Friedman and Graham McCallum (ex BBC) iv) Here’s one I made earlier – experimentation, illustration styles, new typographic forms, craft 6. Interlude: Contemporary approaches to music and sound in idents for television channels and streaming services – Melissa Morton (University of Edinburgh) 7. Tomorrow’s World i) Yesterday’s World – advances in content graphics and visualisation, motion control ii) Election Night and the Weather: advances in data visualisation with the BBC Computer Graphics Workshop – Bill Gardner (ex-BBC) iii) Screen test – typography on screen, from chalk to pixel – Charles McGhie (ex BBC) 8. Letter from America i) International perspectives from the Commonwealth – Andrew Burke (University of Winnipeg) ii) Two common languages, cultures apart: BBC expats in America – Iain Greenway (Pratt Institute, New York) iii) Global markets – Ian Wormleighton (ex-BBC) 9. Afterword – Michael Graham Smith (ex-BBC and Koln University)
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.
