A few weeks ago, AOL (or is it Aol.) gave us a preview of the new (much talked about) rebrand. The new AOL brand “expresses commitment to stimulating content, openness, and inclusion”. The new branding package includes a new simpler logotype, revealed by ever changing images.

This is a small departure from our television branding focus, but as more advertising agencies leverage motion graphics/creative shops for moving picture & branding expertise- our influence on global creative campaigns can only grow.

AOL has been working with Wolff Olins in translating the vision into a new brand platform for their business. The identity itself “is a platform for expression and creativity reflecting the content, products and services which AOL offers.” A few creative shops were commissioned for the assignment including these spots from NY-based direction and design studio GHAVA.

Awhile ago, I had made a post about NBC’s much applauded 2009 rebrand “More Colorful”. The recently launched on-air brand campaign marks a unique and ambitious evolution for NBC with a heavier emphasis on color theory and some internal NBC research that highlighted many of the positive attributes of humanity. The idea that “the experience of emotion is at the core of our humanity” was one cornerstone of the creative DNA for the NBC assignment.

You can read more about the color bursts, 3 pop promo endtags, and a bunch of other custom elements by viewing the official case study here.

Just released ‘Doctor Who’ BBC One Christmas Ident, featuring David Tennant. In other breaking news, the Doctor Who star has just landed the lead role in the new NBC comedy drama Rex is Not Your Lawyer. The pilot was greenlit by NBC in August, and will have Tennant moving to Los Angeles to pursue his big US network debut.

Creative was developed and produced by Red Bee Media.

And a couple more cuts including:

BBC One Reindeer and TARDIS Sting

and BBC One Christmas Sting Featuring Doctor Who

HBO released last week its much anticipated :90 teaser/promo for the fourth season of fan favourite (myself included) ‘Big Love’. The Emmy-nominated drama returns in the US on January 10, 2010 on HBO.

The airy, minimalist spot features plural marrieds Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Goodwin with Bill Paxton reaching for — and losing his grip — on each of his three wives. The song (incidentally) is from Interpol and is called “Untitled”.

US public broadcaster PBS has unveiled an ambitious new multi-platform rebrand package, which includes over 600 elements inviting viewers to “Be More”. In development since last year, the campaign expresses the vibrancy of today’s PBS, whose content is delivered through a growing number of platforms.

From television to video streaming and beyond, PBS “gives people opportunities they may not otherwise have to explore the worlds of science, nature, history, drama, performance, how-to and more – making this public service media enterprise even more relevant and captivating than ever.”

“The new package expresses what people love best about PBS – that our shows invite everyone, from every walk of life, to explore new ideas, discover new worlds and to broaden their horizons, in other words, to be more.” explains Lesli Rotenberg, SVP, PBS Brand Management and Promotion.

John Ruppenthal, Senior Creative Director for PBS adds “It was a challenge to find a way to embody and bring to life what makes PBS unique, yet this new package does just that.” The strategic direction for the new package was developed by PBS’ Brand Management team, the creative was executed by New York based Eyeball.

Happy Thanksgiving Eve everyone. As some of you know, I went to UCLA (oh those long years ago) to pursue a career in clinical psychology, and got my first job out of university doing social work for the state of California. (I’ll save the how I got into branding/advertising industry for another day.)

Times (and the economy) were very different. Fast forward to today; we have some really talented students finishing up their degrees and looking for a place to spread their creative wings.

I receive a lot of emails from students and those that have recently graduated. “What is the best way to get an internship?”, “How do I get my portfolio seen & noticed?”, “How do I find the right agency to work for?” Until now, I’ve not really had many ways to redirect talent.

After some advice and discussion with a few trusted colleagues, I’ve decided to host a student portfolio gallery as a regular feature to the blog. The goal is provide young creative talent an opportunity to get noticed by decision makers in our industry, which include our regular readership of creative executives from top design agencies and television networks.

Click keeping reading to get the details-

The Details

Eligibility

*Open to students/recent graduates in the United States and United Kingdom
*Must either be in their senior year of university or within 2 years post graduation
*Specialized in motion graphics, broadcast design, or creative advertising
*Must have an online design portfolio, with strong examples of your creative philosophy

To Be Considered

*Email abmsubmit [at] gmail [dot] com the following information:

a) A link to your online portfolio
b) A short paragraph describing your educational background, (the city you live in/college you attended) and any applicable existing work experience
c) 3 of your favorite design companies (who would you kill to work for?)
d) Your favorite rebrand or campaign of the year
e) Anything else you want to tell me

*Please note I will not be able to reply to each and every submission. Once you submit your information, make sure you’ve joined Art & Business of Motion’s newsletter here.

Those selected will be posted in the new student/portfolio gallery section of the blog, which will be a permanent feature. If you have a blog, please feel free to link to this post. Twitterers please retweet to your friends and colleagues who might be interested.

Looking forward to seeing some fresh new talent.

Denny

UK: Virgin Media Television is renaming its LIVING2 channel offering alongside a comprehensive visual rebrand of its entire LIVING portfolio. On November 30, LIVING2 is being relaunched as LIVINGit, a new channel proposition based on the premise that “life’s worth watching”.

Here’s a glimpse at the new identity- will try to get a montage of the new package once it launches later in the week.

The creative concept for LIVINGit is about it “being part of your world, a prized object that participates in all aspects of life and this is reflected in the breadth of scenarios in which the logo appears as part of life.”

With the aim of giving the brand stand-out presence, the refresh of the LIVING portfolio centers on a stylish venue space – where the LIVING logo is central as an exhibit. Shot on 35mm film in a real environment the ‘LIVING  Exhibit’ is where “everything about the brand takes place, creating an atmosphere, presence and turning it into a desirable destination.”

Jeff Dodds, Virgin Media Television’s Brand and Marketing Director explains, “With the launch of LIVINGit we are sending a clear message that the channel has a distinct personality in its own right. LIVING’s new on air look not only has huge on screen impact but gives us endless creative possibilities”

“In the TV environment it’s essential to have a strong brand. We also have a duty of care to our advertisers to keep viewers watching and engaged during a programme break with our branding creative.”

The rebrands were developed by Red Bee Media in partnership with Virgin Media Television’s in-house creative team.

FlashForward is a breakout fan favorite this season. While ABC has done a stellar job promoting the new series stateside, there has been some buzz in the UK around Five’s specially designed FlashForward idents.

One of the benefits of my regular travel between London and LA is being able to sample (and share with you) promotional differences between creative teams in the US and Europe.

The show has been a solid hit for Five. It skews much younger than most of Five’s other major American shows, and has done a great job lifting Five’s brand equity among lighter viewers of the channel.

The UK launch was only days after the US launch, meaning footage and copy was restricted. “The Eye” / “What did you see” graphic was built as the main branding device for all UK marketing, and the ident delivers a sense of scale, sophistication and suspense to a show that is billed as the new Lost.

Extra thanks to the creative team (Nol, Russell, & Kate) at Five for the kind words on the blog and their contribution to the site.

Hannah Montana, Jason Voorhees, and JLS in 3D? Oh yeah. Channel 4 tonight kicks off 3D week, with a special three-dimensional programming lineup and a suite of specially developed 3D promos and idents. Offering up some interesting opportunities to design in eye-catching trajectories, C4 adds that programs are “best viewed in a dark room and watched from a central position at least 1.5m away from the screen.” Glasses are available for free from select branches of Sainsbury’s.

The next verse in Discovery Channel’s anthem celebrating the world.