Logo & Branding News: More4
Posted: November 4, 2011 Filed under: Logos & Branding, Music, TV & Film | Tags: Art, Brand, branding, design, logo, news, on screen, rebrand, Television, TV 4 Comments »
More4 is a UK digital television channel owned by Channel Four that reruns documentaries, drama and lifestyle programmes of its parent channel as well as broadcasting a number of original pieces. Yesterday it was announced that from January 2012 More4 will have a new identity developed by London based digital design agency ManvsMachine, dropping the single colour and organically animated four, in favour of a new, geometric and colourful logo-mark.
“More 4, Channel 4′s successful digital channel is evolving. From January 2012 a channel re-brand will mark the introduction of an even clearer programming proposition with the schedule focusing more fully on popular factual and features – life enhancing content, helping viewers to get the most out of their everyday lives. Programming which offers insight and inspiration to the way they live, including homes, property, food, health and fashion, will form the main stay of a more user friendly schedule, but there will be an additional feel-good factor with quality acquisitions.”
- Taken from the Channel Four press release
Televisual identities are clearly more than just a logo-mark but I am pretty excited about this new direction. I have always seen the original, designed by Spin, as confident and intentionally simple during a period of brightly coloured and over dynamic on-screen identities which suited the demographic. As its popularity has grown and an increase to its original programme line-up the decision to give the channel a more distinctive character, seems a sensible choice.
As a static piece of design the new logo-mark looks bold and modern with a playful almost retro toy like aesthetic that should make it an interesting animation. The bright and diverse colour palette appears to neatly reference n number of the tones from the classic Channel Four identity (used until the late 90′s) that works well to characterise the lifestyle/documentary aspect and essentially the diversity of the people featured in a more fact based schedule. The angular, geometric and modular construction suggests that it could be assembled in a number of different ways and ties in with the Channels vision of customisable content. The new identity sits neatly between the significant brand equity of Channel Four and the overt personality of teen focused E4.
Original animated identity designed by Spin – Brand guidelines are available to read here.
Hi Richard, congrats on BP&O. Nicely curated and thoughtfully reviewed, i’ll be checking back regularly.
As an interesting twist on this More4 identity a VERY similar mark had already been done a few years back for 4play Creative, a Canadian retailer of erotic toys (see http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenblaikie/3046444084/in/photostream ). When I checked http://4playcreative.com a few days back the branding on the site was the more4 style but I notice today it has been modified presumably at the request and expense of Spin and/or Channel Four.
Anyway, keep up the good work…
Cheers..
Steve
Thanks for sharing that Steve, quite an interesting development. I think the changes in the revised version are fairly negligible, some designers really have no shame.
Since More4 have been around since 2005 it’s probably a good idea to give the content and identity a refresh especially as the idea seems to have been appropriated by others, (there’s a shop here in Prague with the exactly the same logo-mark). I’m looking forward to seeing the on-screen animations for this new identity.
Thanks for dropping by and glad you like the reviews.
Interesting post! While I certainly like the new logo I think I still prefer the old one, the simplicity really makes it, and it fits in well with Channel 4′s other logos. I guess I’ll have to see the new one in action to really judge!
Great site and writeups BTW!
Loving the new MORE4 ident, simple shapes, beautiful colour combo, smooth animation. Wish I’d explored this sort of style when I was developing the brand for FL4 : http://www.mrstevekelly.com/9976/393230/view-work/fl4-(floor)-brand-development