BBC Studios Open up Iconic Design Archive with BBC Playback

BBC Studios Brands and Licensing team presents BBC Playback, a bold new creative celebration from the BBC archives. This initiative showcases iconic logos and idents from classic BBC TV channels and radio stations across the years.

From the future predicting Tomorrow’s World series of the 1980’s and the Saturday morning energy of Live & Kicking in the 1990’s, the new BBC Playback guide has been designed as a trend-led, print ready time capsule for apparel, accessories, and gift merchandising.

This creative design guide features the iconic BBC analogue tuning signal testcard that graced the nations screens at the end of nightly TV viewing, alongside BBC Ceefax the world’s first text-based information service offering news and TV scheduling.

Radio 1 started switching up the airways with the most famous logo ident in 1978 that incorporated their new 275-285 FM frequencies, and the 1980’s also brought the world’s first computer-generated 3D television station ident created for BBC 2.

Andrew Carley, director of licensing for UK/EMEA/Asia at BBC Studios says, “I am delighted to be announcing that BBC Studios are unlocking the archive to some of the BBC’s most memorable broadcasting design moments that tap into the nostalgia of the retro fashion trends and having the opportunity to share this with potential partners at this year’s Brands Licensing Europe”.

BBC Playback captures many of the defining graphic design moments in broadcasting history featuring branding and packaging inspired by the nostalgic mid-'80s and '90s.

The BBC Playback collection will launch as a merchandising opportunity at this year’s Brand Licensing Europe show at London’s Excel this September 24th.