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The SBS Brand
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The story behind the new SBS logo
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Enlarge textSBS's director of marketing, Jacquie Riddell, blogs about the new SBS brand and logo, and presents a few samples of the new station's radio and TV promotions.
- 16 Comments | Join the discussion
The SBS brand isn't what we say it is. It's what our audience say it is.
And what they've been telling us is the way we've been presenting ourselves isn't the way they see us anymore. When they saw the old SBS logo and on air identity, they were reminded of the old SBS – you know the one – the sex and soccer channel.
What SBS has become in recent years is more and more relevant to more and more Australians. Diversity has become a part of every Australian's life.
Multiculturalism now isn't what it was then. It's not about narrow ethnic minorities. It's not about being politically correct. It's about the diversity that holds Australia together.
We've been working hard at becoming a modern broadcaster with a growing range of exciting, quality programming across television, radio and online that better reflects the changing face of Australia.
We're not changing the SBS logo just for the sake of changing. We're bringing it to life to better represent how we're evolving into the world's leading multicultural broadcaster.
Hear samples of our new radio station IDs
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
Sample 5
Not everyone is aware the current logo is based on the Mercator map. Most people never saw it as a way to look at the world. They thought it was a set of surfboards on an angle. Or a bunch of flower petals or leaves. Or rice. But it is, in fact, a map of the world where we live. On air, you'll see a new world of diversity beyond geography and stereotypes. A world of many colours. Many points of view.
Our new typeface is more modern, more contemporary. It's also easier to read.
Our new position reinforces our strength of telling and sharing a multitude of stories from every corner of the earth. In a multitude of languages. We're open to new stories, new ideas, and new ways of thinking. We know stories are what connect us.
Our humanity is even being expressed in our new approach to audio. Rather than the crash-bang-boom of a typical broadcaster, our new soundscape is an extension of the human body.
It's our story told in sound and it supports and builds on how we tell our story. And bringing our story together on television, radio and online makes for a richer, more engrossing experience.
It makes for a more rewarding story.
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Comments (16)
12 Jun 2009 8:14 AEST
From: Adelaide
Too Big and Too Bright
Design issues aside, the new logo needs to be smaller and FAR less opaque. I find that having this bright white watermark on the screen to be distracting and completely unnecessary. It interferes with subtitles and on any program with dark backgrounds it is grossly distracting. If you feel you must have a watermark then tone it down. The previous logo watermark was unobtrusive and easy to live with, the new one is a waste of space and probably will be hell for those with Plasma displays.
05 Jun 2009 21:50 AEST
From: Rockhampton
Logo position
Yah have to agree with David from Sydney, the logo - whatever its origin, purpose, meanings, form, whether good or bad - IS IN THE WRONG PLACE! It frequently interfers with the subtitle text of the MANY programs SBS runs that use subtitling. How bout moving it more to the right, or to another corner or even NOT necessarily in a corner! And can you do it tonight, in time for the next lot of movies - thanks.
03 Jun 2009 8:29 AEST
From: sydney
position and brightness
Regarding design: whatever. But hasn't anyone else noticed that it's now difficult to read subtitles on the right side of the screen? It seems like the logo has moved slightly to the left and has increased in brightness/opacity? Can someone clarify this? If it's true, please don't justify it with marketing babble, please just fix it, Thanx :) (do the marketing ppl need a slap for a lack of piloting?)
03 Apr 2009 2:10 AEST
From: Sydney
Boring
It makes no sense changing something if it can't be improved upon, and the logo has just been fiddled with. SBS's Director of Marketing, Jacquie Riddell, said this of the logo, "We're bringing it to life". Jacquie! Surely you don't believe your own marketing spiel. If SBS wanted the ‘new identity’ in the logo, then it should have been more creative. Woolworths, for example, have a great new logo. As a designer, I could never have charged the good money SBS paid for what received in return.
17 Sep 2008 21:09 AEST
From: Ashbury
I think it's great but.....
What's the song in the background? I think it's great.
09 Jul 2008 15:29 AEST
From: Brisbane
Halfway there
Like most people, I wasn't aware that the SBS logo is based on a Mercator Map of the world. But then again, most people don't know the Commonwealth Bank's logo is based on the Southern Cross. That's the charming thing about abstract logos, there is more depth to them than first perceived. I like the new take on the SBS logo, however I dislike the typeface. Helvetica, particularly in thin guise, is rampant in the cosmetic industry. Therefore, is this merely a shallow cosmetic progression?
12 Jun 2008 0:40 AEST
From: Sydney
awful! awful! awful!
Guys go back to your old logo ... a quality one done by good designers. We all know you've changed ... why get a crap logo to try and show it? You've been hood-winked ... it's rubbish, a pedestrian rehash ... put the two side by side ... cmon
07 Jun 2008 23:30 AEST
From: Blacktown NSW
07 Jun 2008 7:22 AEST
From: St. Peters
gloss
So what? You've changed the cover (which admittedly looks very good) but the content continues to decline. The OLD SBS was more than a "sex and soccer channel" - it was a unique and intelligent station with truly multicultural and eclectic programming. Now there is very little of that diversity that SBS still tries to claim, and the "multitude of stories from every corner of the earth" gets replaced with "South Park" and "Gunther Von Hagens Fun with Cadavers" as ideology gets rebranded to accommodate bigger profit.
26 May 2008 4:28 AEST
From: Oyster Bay
Change for the better
I noticed the new logo the other day in the watermark on the bottom right of the screen. I asked my friend 'What Channel is this? They have ripped off the SBS logo, but just made it.. better'.. Congratulations to the team behind this fresh new look. The heart of the original SBS identity remains, with a contemporary spin. Cheers to moving on, and doing it very well.
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About this Blog
Jacquie Riddell
has over 20 years experience in senior roles in media. She has managed television and radio stations, created new programs and digital initiatives, and developed famous marketing initiatives. When not changing the media landscape with new ideas, she can be found frolicking at the beach or struggling with padmasana on a tatty old yoga mat.
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