BBC Cricket has unveiled a new identity that accompanies all BBC cricket coverage, one that would connect with passionate cricket lovers, while ushering in a younger generation of fans. The new identity counter some of the traditionalism of cricket with a modern graphical world into one that celebrates the sport, but also tries something new and unexpected. Let’s explore the creative journey that led to the innovative project that revitalized BBC Cricket.
Crafting An Identity With ‘Cricket DNA’
The Brand and communications agency behind the rebrand, Happy Ending , explained how the studio took inspiration from the ‘tricky’ brief. “We decided to use cricket’s scoring system symbols and icons as the ‘grounding’ for our new visual identity,” said Ross Popejoy, Creative Director at Happy Ending. “We’ve incorporated cricket’s triangle, dot, and cross icons throughout the branding. These symbols will be familiar to cricket fans, but with modern executions, they’re more attractive to newbies. We’ve created multiple 2D and three-dimensional icon designs for various cricket tournaments and events.”
Gender-Neutral Colors For Inclusive Coverage
The color-palette includes bold blues, greens, pinks and yellows used in pairings tailored to specific events. Popejoy says the combinations aim for ‘gender neutrality’ that matches the BBC’s move toward more equal coverage of both men’s and women’s cricket.
Adaptable Design System For Any Medium
The flexible design system includes ‘hundreds’ of assets the BBC creative and marketing teams can utilize. The assets are ‘lightweight’ for quick loading on digital platforms. The motion graphics are pre-programmed to ‘react’ to footage, drawing inspiration from how umpires move to indicate different outcomes. The new branding is being applied across TV, online, social media, and live reporting. The goal is to modernize and energize cricket for a new generation of fans while honoring the spirit of the game that traditional audiences love.
ASCII-Modelled Traditional Iconography
Happy Ending based the design system around traditional scoring iconography, bringing it to life with bold motion design and an electric colour palette. According to lead designer Ioan Davies, “Every layer of the identity focused on embedding the design language within the cricketing world, allowing us to make everything from cool ASCII 3D textured models to multilayered motion assets all connected through one DNA.”
Modern Look Surprises but Excites
Stylistically, Happy Ending creative director Ross Popejoy recalls feeling surprised at the BBC’s chosen direction. “We were actually quite shocked at the route the BBC picked especially with the traditional connotations around Cricket, but for us it just goes to show that BBC Creative is there to not just create wallpaper but to move the BBC forward not only creatively but also in the engagement with their audiences.”
The identity first aired during the recent Ashes series between England and Australia. Ross outlines how positive the reception has been with lots of interest from across the globe. “It’s always an amazing challenge trying to talk to different audiences and across such a huge scope of executions, but we believe that this identity does just that with bucket loads of personality.” Happy Ending developed the new identity in collaboration with BBC’s in-house creative agency BBC Creative.
The Big Picture
BBC cricket’s latest identity designed by Happy Ending aims to breathe fresh life into the sport by appealing to both long-time fans and newcomers. The new identity uses a gender-neutral color palette and flexible design system to make the sport feel modern and inclusive. The adaptable graphics and assets allow the branding to be applied across various mediums. The colorful, retro-themed approach indicates the need to energize cricket’s image to compete for viewers in an increasingly crowded media landscape. With thoughtful planning and creative execution, visual identities like this one have the power to shape perceptions and grow passion for a sport – which in turn can lead to its evolution for the future.
