Task 2 - Limitations of idents

Limitations of idents

The duration of idents limit the quantity of information that can be shown at once. Idents will usually run for around 10 and 20 seconds and have to sum up the whole channel’s values in this time. This means the information shown is very restricted as the screen cannot be too congested or confusing to make sure that the audience are able to receive all of the information in the narrow amount of time given.

A large limitation in terms of the design of idents, is that only text and graphics are used to communicate complex meanings in a simple manner. This is challenging for designers as they have to convey the channels brand/values to the target audience through the imagery they use without making the screen too crowded.

Translating graphics and text to a television screen is another difficult area, as not all fonts will decode correctly on every screen, causing typography to appear broken up or pixelated. This can also be an issue for particular colours which when translated onto televisions seem discoloured or create noise. Bright reds for example are prone to noise, so should be avoided in the design. Designers will have to experiment with idents and make changes accordingly, which may change the entire design of the ident.

The design of the ident is vital for the channel, and badly designed idents can have a very negative consequence on their reputation. If the channel is branded mistakenly or towards the incorrect audience, people could be put off and loyalty lowered.

Screen resolution and specifically moiré fringing, will also have to be taken into consideration during the design on the TV ident. Moiré fringing is when lines are placed too closely together which means they can not be translated correctly on screen and appear to move on their own. This can happen if people on screen where striped shirts, or if the graphic has lines very closed together for example.

The aspect ratio of a TV screen has a large effect on the overall design as the designer must create the ident for a specific shape. This restricts the design itself as the usual aspect ratio of 4:3, which creates a rectangular shape meaning that the design will also have to be rectangular and landscape.

The aspect ratio will also affect idents in one more way. Although the idents are generally designed for a 4:3 ratio, not everyone will be watching TV in this format. There will be people watching TV on their computers or on a wide screen HD television that will use a 16:9 aspect ratio. This means that the design will translate very differently onto these different formats, stretching the ident distorting or squashing it inwards and altering the appearance of the ident. This also means that the ident may not be able to be shown in some cases.

The use of typography will also need to be taken into account in terms of access. An ident using text that is shown in the UK for example, will not be able to be understood by all viewers who will read in a different language or may not be literate. This means that the channel is limiting their audience instantly, especially if their ident is text heavy. This also means that the TV ident cannot be shown worldwide.

If the channel becomes popular in another country the ident will have to be changed for that country. This adds extra cost and time and cannot always aid the problem if the channel logo consists of text and numbers. The BBC for example, broadcast in many countries internationally. They will as a result have to translate their logos, idents and graphics so that they can be read and understood in the country they are used.