Behind the scenes of one of the new BBC2 idents

The BBC2 idents over the years have always brought a fun, slightly irreverent, interlude to programmes. They have gradually become less literal, and and at the same time have created their own historical narrative (2’s getting their own back on the paint tin). As our brand awareness has grown over the years, so the new branding has harnessed that recognition factor, and simplified it to the extent that we are now comfortable to just get the curve of the 2.

The new animations use a wide range of materials and techniques. It is always fascinating to see how designs like these are put together, and the scale of the research, experimentation, trial and error Gavin Strange and his team endured at aardman is impressive.

Here is an article detailing their process and a fascinating video.

For anyone lamenting the passing of the 2’s, here is a mix of all the work that has gone before, and that has paved the way for the current branding.