[James2001]

Not really much different to how the BBC are currently using two different logos, and also did over the 1988-93 period.

[sparky_75]

Staff Relations & HR were debateable too.

They upped their shares in Central - sold everything off, sacked a majority of the staff, and then axed programmes.
Not in that order.

The way staff were sacked was less than tactful - all staff were hauled to a conference to be shown a 5minute film about being made redundant.
Those that could get to the conference were kindly sent a copy on VHS.

I could write pages on Carlton politics......

---

Animated by David Speed. Using an 2 halves of an 8" plastic sphere, hinged at the bottom.
Look close enough, you'll see the join as it used two seperate  peices of animation!

The Coloured globe was part of the 1982 brand - as it was used at the start of the morning start up and used to accompany the digital clock used in links before the news.
The Minale Tattersfield Design brief from 1981, included the coloured globe; for some reason - on screen they used the Blue/white sphere throughout 1982 & 1983.

The animated Coloured globe was worked on during 1983 - and didn't go into use until the end of '83, so was first seen on screen in 1984.
The 'Cake' was part of the Autumn 1985 re-brand.

I don’t suppose you happen to know why, despite introducing the Cake for regional presentation in 1985, they continued to use the sphere on programme frontcaps and endcaps until 1988?

The 'cake' formed part of a new promotions brand - which launded during Autumn 1985 - it didn't include endcaps or a dedicated station ident at the time.
The package included 6 or 7 different animated versions of the Cake - all of different lengths; which would be used to fit in continuity slots.

The work was purely for trails/promotions and continuity. (Where they dropped in-vision continuity around that time)

The first station Ident version of the cake I saw - appeared on 35mm, minus it's captions & music dated from mid 1988.
Might still have it lurking in a can somewhere!

Though, to answer your question - not really sure why they continued with the Spheres for a while after; unless they knew a total re-brand was on the cards at some point, so continued with what they had until a final format was decided.
Also - didn't ITV companies drop opening idents sometime around 1989/90?

I do know by, Spring 1989 - the Animated "Central Production" cake & music was being included at the end of most programmes.

[Spencer]

Interesting. Thinking about it, I guess the cake was simply a replacement for the coloured diagonal striped logo used in trails and continuity which also co-existed along with the sphere. Perhaps someone at a later date decided the cake was such a strong logo it was worth making the official logo.

I’m sure though, that there was still some in-vision continuity after the cake launched, as there was definitely a cake logo on the backdrop of the continuity studio for a while, although if I remember correctly it was relegated to mostly off-peak times.

Edit: Found a seasonally appropriate example…
youtu.be 

This video can only be viewed on YouTube.

[Blubatt]

TVNZ
www.youtube.com 

If it were a bit bigger, and was a globe, I think that would be a good BBC One ident

[Spencer]

TVNZ
www.youtube.com 

If it were a bit bigger, and was a globe, I think that would be a good BBC One ident

When this ident was posted on TVF, I had another channel in mind… 

[Andrew Wood]

Interesting. Thinking about it, I guess the cake was simply a replacement for the coloured diagonal striped logo used in trails and continuity which also co-existed along with the sphere. Perhaps someone at a later date decided the cake was such a strong logo it was worth making the official logo.

The origins of the 'cake' (how I've always hated that description!) are there in the very first opening moments of Central's first day.

The black and white version of the logo used on trailers shows 14 stripes for the left crescent - whilst the right side is solid. In print (and later on screen) these stripes were shown in 7 colours. 

From there it could be seen how the simplified 6 stripe version came into being (not least perhaps influenced by Channel 4's logo launched late that year!)

www.youtube.com 

A couple of stills from promo showing the colour version:

theident.gallery 

theident.gallery 

[Spencer]

Interesting. Thinking about it, I guess the cake was simply a replacement for the coloured diagonal striped logo used in trails and continuity which also co-existed along with the sphere. Perhaps someone at a later date decided the cake was such a strong logo it was worth making the official logo.

The origins of the 'cake' (how I've always hated that description!) are there in the very first opening moments of Central's first day.

The black and white version of the logo used on trailers shows 14 stripes for the left crescent - whilst the right side is solid. In print (and later on screen) these stripes were shown in 7 colours. 

From there it could be seen how the simplified 6 stripe version came into being (not least perhaps influenced by Channel 4's logo launched late that year!)

www.youtube.com 

A couple of stills from promo showing the colour version:

theident.gallery 
theident.gallery 

Yes, it would seem the origins of the cake might have been there from the beginning, although strangely it wasn’t a direct evolution from the 14 striped logo.

The coloured diagonal stripes, an early, shorter version of which is in your second image above, replaced the 14 striped globe/cake for a period in continuity/pres before the cake was introduced.



And on the subject of the term ‘cake’, I’m also not a fan. It seems it’s just a term which has come about amongst pres enthusiasts.

It would seem internally, it had another name…

twitter.com 

twitter.com 

[sparky_75]

Interesting. Thinking about it, I guess the cake was simply a replacement for the coloured diagonal striped logo used in trails and continuity which also co-existed along with the sphere. Perhaps someone at a later date decided the cake was such a strong logo it was worth making the official logo.

The origins of the 'cake' (how I've always hated that description!) are there in the very first opening moments of Central's first day.

The black and white version of the logo used on trailers shows 14 stripes for the left crescent - whilst the right side is solid. In print (and later on screen) these stripes were shown in 7 colours. 

From there it could be seen how the simplified 6 stripe version came into being (not least perhaps influenced by Channel 4's logo launched late that year!)

www.youtube.com 

A couple of stills from promo showing the colour version:

theident.gallery 
theident.gallery 

Yes - the original design brief included a coloured sphere (as seen on Endcaps, for some continuity links on screen, and on the set of the Presentation studio and Central News)
The B&W striped version - was designed to be used in Print (newspapers etc) and on hot foil press stamped captions. (As many of the captions were back then).
A coloured striped version - which - in the brief was designated to specialised Headed Notepaper only. Though seemed to be adapted for use on screen later on.

The Printed striped version was also used on fabrics (T Shirts/Umbrellas), a white striped one on Pullovers.

I'll have to scan the brief in, as there were a number of alternative looks & styles - some were never used.

[Andrew Wood]

The Printed striped version was also used on fabrics (T Shirts/Umbrellas), a white striped one on Pullovers.
I'll have to scan the brief in, as there were a number of alternative looks & styles - some were never used.

No doubt all of which would have been on sale in the Central shop at the NEC - which was never open when I went causing huge disappointment to a much younger me!

[sparky_75]

The Printed striped version was also used on fabrics (T Shirts/Umbrellas), a white striped one on Pullovers.
I'll have to scan the brief in, as there were a number of alternative looks & styles - some were never used.

No doubt all of which would have been on sale in the Central shop at the NEC - which was never open when I went causing huge disappointment to a much younger me!

Yes - they opened a Central shop in Derby and Nottingham - with much publicity.
Sadly, it was just a front desk and a hired hair do. There was no merch to buy at all.

I think I had a "Central News East" car window sticker....

I was just as dissapointed too.