Channel 4’s new idents are about life in modern Britain. The five new idents by 4creative feature scenes such as an urban fox taking refuge in a decaying telephone box, a group of teenagers on the last day of school, a frozen moment of a Friday night and a celebration of Zoroastrian New Year. The 25 unique looping scenes create a tapestry of modern British society today as seen through the eyes of a diverse group of 17 independent creatives, artists, and filmmakers.
A one-off film containing all five idents looped together is accompanied by the specially commissioned words of British writer, John Joseph Holt.
The new idents follow Channel 4’s brand transformation. They draw on the concept of ‘4’ as a traveller, who acts as a companion for viewers through limitless worlds of content. The Channel 4 logo is the central axis of each film as the camera continually loops through the logo itself to show scenes that form a part of Channel 4’s Altogether Different view of the UK.
The scenes are a combination of live-action, animated and full CG films, developed from an open brief that invited the creators to interpret one of five themes – Identity, The Land, System, Release and Love – and resulted in 500 initial ideas.
Zaid Al-Qassab, chief marketing officer at Channel 4, commented, “Our idents reach 50 million people in the UK every month, so we wanted to represent all of us, the rich diversity of our nation, our communities, and our passions. This is not only a representation of Channel 4, this is the most viewed piece of public art in the UK, that will be seen for many years to come, so it was important to us that it spoke to everyone. Whoever you are, we hope you will find something that speaks to your heart.”
Lynsey Atkin, executive creative director at Channel 4, added, “The Channel 4 idents have a long history of visual excellence and as a marker for British creativity. We hope that this new set builds on this legacy and delights viewers many times over, with everyone finding a loop that feels like home to them. The idents at their purest represent the unbreakable spirit of Channel 4 – of diversity, challenge, and creative risk – and it has been a true labour of love bringing these idents to life with so many brilliant and varied directors and artists. We can’t wait to see them out in the world.”
The idents feature 70 faces from across the UK and represent the different stories and people that make up British society. The casting process resulted in real families, couples, and groups of friends featuring in the majority of scenes.
