BBC

Brief

SR worked with Wolff Olins to create the BBC's core sting, primarily to showcase BBC programming on third party platforms. The core challenge stemmed from the BBC’s global success: its programmes were being broadcast around the world, yet many international viewers were unaware they were watching BBC-produced content. This lack of recognition meant the organisation was missing out on significant, well-earned brand equity. This sting became the vehicle to achieve that.

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Insight

The Masterbrand sting needed to subtly but confidently let audiences know that the stories they love are brought to life by the BBC. In just three seconds, it had to convey the breadth of the BBC’s creative offering while remaining inclusive and engaging for all audiences - fully aligned with its dynamic rebrand. Colour played a critical role in achieving this, presenting the challenge of ensuring it remained visually compelling across all contexts.

We subsequently also created versions of the core sting for the Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland regions. For these adaptations, the use of colour and space was also carefully considered to reflect the distinct identities of each region, while remaining clearly rooted in the unified BBC brand.

SR visited the BBC’s playout testing suite to ensure colour depth and fidelity were preserved through to the final broadcast, maintaining consistency and quality for the end viewer.

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Solution

From crafting fluid gradients to refining motion and lockups down to the pixel, every detail was held to the highest design standards. Alongside the hero three-second closer, SR delivered over 150 tailored versions across multiple durations, including 3 and 5 second openers for a wide range of playout environments. This was complemented by collaboration with Zelig, who developed the sonic identity.

The result is a versatile, globally recognisable asset that ensures the BBC is clearly identified as the creative force behind some of the world’s most beloved television.

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Role

In collaboration with WO, SR were responsible for ideation, aesthetic and motion development throughout, and were responsible for final production and versioning for each final output.

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‍Final Output(s)

• Masterbrand
  
  • 3” Opener
  • 3” Closer
  • 5” Opener
  • (Delivered as over 150 tailored versions for playout format, frame rate, dimensions and colour space).
• Regions (deliverable as 3” Opener/3” Closer/5” Opener/10” Opener)
  
  • Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland