ITV this week unveiled the first details of a major, business-wide rebrand – which will see a new, unifying brand identity for ITV plc, ITV Network, and ITV”s content and distribution businesses. To strengthen the affinity between the overall brand and the network”s flagship channel, ITV1 will revert to being known simply as ITV.

The work, which takes effect from 2013, is linked to ITV”s Transformation plan, and has been led by Director of Marketing & Research Rufus Radcliffe, Director of Network Marketing Reemah Sakaan and Creative Director of ITV Creative, Phil Lind.

Commenting, Radcliffe said, “In an ever more crowded market place, both domestically and internationally, the need for a modern, flexible brand identity that connects with our viewers and customers has never been more important. We are really excited to soon be unveiling a new identity that is as up-to-date, and relevant as our content. Big, bold and creatively ambitious, it will be true to our DNA as a brand at the heart of popular culture.”

A new ITV logo will form the basis of all ITV”s branding domestically and internationally, and is a warm, bold design based on a formalised version of human handwriting, comprising of five colours, in its static state. When the logo appears on coloured background, such as marketing images for ITV programmes – it will adapt according to the background colour scheme of the image. This means the logo can be dynamic, shifting tone along with the content, reflecting and blending with the mood of different shows.

Within the ITV broadcast business, the family of UK channels will all have a new on-air look, with ITV2, ITV3, ITV4, and CiTV receiving new colour schemes, clearer brand propositions, and accompanying updated brand identities. Constituent sub-brands within the ITV main channel will also receive new on-air brand identities and colour schemes, such as ITV News and ITV Sport; and the ITV Player and online estate will also be rebranded.

The on-air changes will be visible from January 2013, and in addition to new brand identities, the Inetwork broadcast business will have a new creative style in promotional junctions. In particular, ITV”s ambition is to have a far broader range of idents through the year. As a brand at the heart of popular culture, ITV”s idents will be a revolving collect of season specific designs, featuring real people, capturing moments from everyday life.

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