09 May 2007
S4C has won its first major award for its new brand identity at the prestigious European Broadcasting Union Connect Awards this week in Lucerne, Switzerland.
The new branding, which is integrated across S4C’s on-air, off-air and online activities, was launched in January to replace the S4C identity in existence since 1993.
Co-ordinated by S4C’s Creative Director Dylan Griffith and undertaken for S4C by Proud Creative, the brand identity aims to give S4C a contemporary image and attitude in preparation for digital switchover scheduled for 2009.
The new branding, won the Total Package award in the Design Category at EBU Connect, the top award given by the world’s foremost professional association of national broadcasters.
Max Johns, the EBU Connect Coordinator said: “The jury was particularly impressed by the unique style of the total package that was presented by S4C. The jury found that all various pieces of the package gave a well rounded impression. It shows courage to create a visual package that has no precedence. It shows confidence in the programming. It has the power to give the employees of S4C pride to work for a channel that is unique.”
S4C Chief Executive Iona Jones said: “The aim of the new brand is to reflect S4C’s agenda for creative excellence and to help the Channel stand out as a multi-platform operator in the all-digital environment. We are delighted that the brand itself has now been recognised for its creative excellence by one of the broadcasting industry’s key international organisations.”
Dylan Griffith, S4C’s Creative Director added, “We wanted the new Channel identity to reflect the broad and contemporary appeal of all S4C’s services. This Total Package award in the EBU’s Design award recognises that we are projecting an exciting, dynamic and evolving image of the Channel to an international audience in all media.”
The initial series of channel idents, filmed in locations throughout Wales, are based on the concept of “uncontrollable attraction”- reflecting the Welsh feeling of an emotional affinity to the homeland, whether near or far.
Multi–award winning director Simon Ratigan put his own distinctive visual twist on the creative. Other collaborators on the project included: Minivegas, Freefarm, The Acid Casuals, Marc Ortmans, Rushes, John Hill, Ariane Geil, Lineto and Core Multimedia.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
The EBU Connect conference has been held annually in a different European location since 1991. It is a conference for television industry professionals who are involved in television promotion, in marketing and presentation, in design and branding. Increasingly it is being recognised as the leading forum for practitioners in television creative services in Europe. The aim of the conference is to promote ongoing dialogue and information exchange.
The programme for 2007 included sessions on rebranding, with examples from S4C, BBC1, Germany’s MDR channel and South Africa´s public flagship channel SABC 1.
