Yle TV2

Background
Yle TV2 is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by Yle, Finland's public TV broadcaster. Originally named "TV-ohjelma 2", the channel was launched on March 1, 1965 as the result of the acquisition of Tesvisio and Tamvisio. The channel's operations are located in Tampere, where Tamvisio was previously operating. The name was soon changed to simply "TV2" in 1971 and again to Yle TV2 during the company's rebranding in 2012. Television programs aired in Yle TV2 are generally public service programming, children's, youth, sport, and music programmes. Since 2012, many of the channel's programs have been targeted towards teenagers and younger adults.

1st Logo (January 2001-October 6, 2002)
Visuals: After a sudden bright flashing, we transition into a dark blue lake with the sky in motion, as a whooper swan is seen landing smoothly on the water. The same stretched "2" from the previous logo with detailed shading is seen very slowly floating towards the right, with "|YLE|" on the bottom of the screen.

Variants:
 * The whooper swan may sometimes land with its wings splayed open rather than closing them.
 * The opening/closedown variant features the same animation with some words below the logo either being "Tervetuloa Kakkoselle!" ("Welcome to the Second!") in the morning or "Hyvää yötä Kakkoselta" ("Good night from the Second") during the night.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A four-note synth tune followed by a long chime.

Availability: The closedown variant exists online, while the footage of the startup variant was unavailable but now found.

2nd Logo (October 7, 2002-May 29, 2005)
Visuals: On a dark blue background, a ball of light forms a stylised "2". The camera zooms out further to view the completed logo before the screen fades to black.

Variants:
 * An extended opening variant exists where the text "TERVETULOA KAKKOSELLE" ("WELCOME TO TV2") is visible whilst the ball of light is slowly moving to the center of the screen. After a couple seconds the logo plays as normal.
 * The closedown variant has a white background with the stylised "2" logo on a box with "HYVÄÄ YÖTÄ" ("GOOD NIGHT") written below it. After a while, it transitions to the animation of the ball of light forming the "2" being played in reverse.
 * Another version with the white background and the box was used when the network had technical difficulties. Written below the box was "Hetkinen..." ("WAIT A MOMENT...") in white with a  outline behind it.
 * Superimposed versions are known to exist.

Technique: The ball of light drawing a stylised "2".

Audio: The same four-note synth tune from the previous logo without the long chime. The theme is played backwards in the closedown variant.

Availability: The main variant was usually featured prior and after YLE FST programming block.

3rd Logo (May 30, 2005-September 1, 2007)
Visuals: On various backgrounds, we see multiple lines bending on different directions. As the camera zooms out further for a better view, many of these lines come together and form a large and thin "2" with a separate round outline seen bending right next to it.

Variants:
 * Five basic main variants feature white lines on a dark green background, white outlines on an background, white lines on a yellow background, dark green lines on a white background and  lines on a white background.
 * The short transition variant has the lines on a black background. We see them moving and bending quickly together to form "2".
 * Lots of variants feature the close up shot of the logo's bottom part at the end with different coloured lines and background. These lines are usually seen moving past the screen or bending together while forming the logo.
 * One summer-themed variant with a dark green background has four white lines bending together to form the top part of the logo with yellow,, white or dark green flowers growing on it.
 * A Christmas-themed variant on a dark green background has a young girl wearing an elf hat, pressing the screen with her finger, which makes multiple stars pop up on the screen (one larger star appears on the left corner by itself). These stars then disappear and the girl herself fades out from the screen.
 * The movie variant with a dark green background has the camera moving away between sketchy lightning skits, which slowly become photo-realistic looking with the bright light moving on the background before disappearing. The camera stops zooming away and we see one lightning kit on the left side getting switched on with lightning pointing towards the right and the logo's formation is completed on the background.
 * Another Christmas variant has snowflakes on an background. As the lines are forming the logo, a large snowflake lands on the right side of the logo.
 * One variant on an background has white outlines of a young woman and man breakdancing at one place, as they then change into live-action ones. The female person ducks down and the male person jumps over her in slow motion, while the person's feet movement in the mid-air leave thick lines behind. These lines disappear quickly as the person continues dancing in front of the screen with the female person doing the same behind him even after the logo formation is completed.
 * There are two children variants on a yellow background: one has a kid sitting on a swing set with another kid giving her a boost. At first the kids and the swing set appear as white outlines in front of the forming logo, which then become solid live-action ones. When a kid gives the other a boost, the entire live-action footage is played on slow-motion until the logo is completed on a background. The second variant has kids playing around on the couch in regular and slow-motion at certain intervals, as the camera moves backwards over them. Kids then start looking at something in front of them as the logo formation is completed on a background and the live-action footage fades out slowly.
 * As several lines bend together to form a logo on a white background, we see autumnal tree leaves with outlines falling down, leaving outlines behind them. These leaves eventually become solid, while floating around the screen, as one particular leaf falls right next to the bottom part of the finished logo.
 * On a white background, lines start spinning around the centre of the screen, where a spinning, outlined chair is created. The  lines then fly away and then start bending and forming a channel logo on a background. The chair becomes solid with a shadow below and it stops spinning at one place. The white background fades to a simple live-action background of a grassy terrain with a dirt road, that proceeds far to the horizon. We see the logo being completed with the bottom part usually seen with the chair covering a small part of the logo from the top left corner.

Technique: The bending or moving lines, the live-action footage.

Audio: An eight-note tune that comes in a different rendition. The reversed sound is generally heard when the outline bends right next to the number.

Audio Variants:
 * An eight-note tune that has different renditions, usually having additional stock sounds of someone stepping on a snow or water dropping.
 * Another calm tune with the same reversed sound at the end, includes different types of seaport sounds.
 * The children variants use a playful theme with kids cheering on a background. Both longer and shorter versions of the theme exist.
 * One music variant has rising sounds with stock sound effects of farm animals heard in the background. This one also ends with the reversed sound.
 * Another, shorter theme is played partly with a flute, as it then ends with a reversed sound. Longer version of the theme is featured on the chair variant, where random people are heard talking on the background. The reversed sound at the end is somewhat different.
 * A slow tune played partly with a piano and synth in the autumn variant, ends with multiple reversed synth sounds and brief echoing heard afterwards.
 * The Christmas variant with snowing, has a synth theme with the sounds of someone stepping on snow and another synthesiser played constantly in reverse.
 * A hip-hop theme, that ends on a reversed sound.
 * The movie variant has a unique theme of drums building up the hype and a huge fanfare heard at the end.
 * Another unique theme is heard on a Christmas variant with high bell sounds heard, when stars pop up the screen and the other way around.

Availability: Played usually prior the next programme, while variants with orange background are used as startup and closedown idents. Short transition variant could be spotted between program promos and announcements. Certain ones like children variants with yellow background are used before the children's program is about to begin. There were probably more variants to be found.

4th Logo (September 3, 2007-October 4, 2010)
Visuals: On a white background, the camera is floating around a simple looking cube with the same "2" logo placed on all sides of it. The cube has tiles with the same colour palette used for the backgrounds in the previous logo (dark green,, yellow and white with lines). The rotation ends and we see a top corner shot of the cube.

Variants:
 * Two different variants of the ident feature the same movement with different looking cubes, either with one featuring tiles on all of its sides or another with all sides having yellow tiles.
 * The short transition variant has a completely white cube with lines, spinning in midair towards the screen.
 * On a dark green background, we see the cube being openly spread with the internal tiles of the outer sides colored yellow and the centre one being white. The cube bends all of its sides together, revealing its external sides to be dark green, and yellow. The cube then drastically bounces around and re-opens itself and bends back together with the different sides (yellow, white and dark green, that looks more like cyan in the ending shot).
 * A separate children's variant has the long bending lines from the previous logo forming the bottom side of the "2" logo, while we see two kids building a block tower from multicoloured, yellow, and yellow/ cubes. As the block tower falls down with the kids being excited and the logo formation on the background being completed, we see a extreme close up shot of the cubes scattered around the floor.
 * Another variant used specifically around the time of the Finnish independence day, has the cube falling down and its sides spreading wide open, the logo morphs into a cross, that then becomes a thin Finnish flag with a shadow behind, floating on a white background.
 * There's two Summer-themed variants: one has the cube bouncing closer from a far distance and then stopping at one place to open its top panel and release butterflies. Another variant has the cube releasing yellow butterflies.
 * Between 2009 and 2010, there are different variants used during the Easter time. Here we see the multicoloured cube bouncing on the corner of a dark green corridor and stopping at one place to open its top panel with a couple of easter eggs or a corsage popping out of it. When the channel is about to air a children's program, a separate variant is used with the corridor having yellow walls on it.
 * The movie variant has the multicoloured cube bouncing on a dark green background. The top panel then opens and reveals a movie projector light.
 * A Christmas variant from 2008 has the camera rotating around the cube, which then spreads wide open in front of the screen, revealing a background with small snowflakes and silhouettes of eight-pointed stars spreading around the screen in different sizes and looks. With the camera panning closer, the centre of the screen has a large detailed star formation with two larger stars (one transparent and another white) rotating around it. Another, smaller star also appears one the centre of the large star with an even smaller, yellow five-pointed star popping in and start rotating along with the others.
 * Another Christmas variant from 2009 has the multicoloured cube rotating in the middle of a detailed heart-themed background. Small stars can also be seen floating around the screen as well.

Technique: The bouncing/expanding cube, the live-action footage, the bending lines in the children variant.

Audio: The same tune heard in the previous logo.

Audio Variants: Many variants used pretty much the same music renditions heard in the previous logo. It wasn't until 2009 when new specific idents started using new renditions of the eight-note tune.
 * The children variant has the same short theme used from the previous logo with the addition of a generic sound effect of kids laughing added at the end.
 * One variant with the bending cube has a separate hip-hop rendition of the tune.
 * The Easter variants have their own calm theme with birds singing in the background and the long sound played in reverse at the end.
 * The Christmas variants use a unique, calm and cute theme without featuring the reversed sound at the end.

Availability: Much like the previous logo, each ident could be spotted prior the upcoming programme. Short transition variant could be spotted between programme promos and announcements. There are most likely more variants to be found.

5th Logo (October 4, 2010-February 16, 2012)
Visuals: On a different live-action background, we see a bright transparent pillar moving across the screen and morphing into a large and detailed vertical line, moving to the left or right side of the screen. The multicoloured cube from the previous logo rotates as it falls down along the vertical line to the bottom of the screen with small lateral lines appearing right next to it (see the Trivia section below).

Trivia: Stated in an archived blog post on September 29, 2010, the Finnish Broadcasting Corporation held a contest of everyone being able to send their home videos as part of creating their channel idents. Rules involved shooting 10-30 second long silent videos with the basic premise being their traditional everyday life centred around themselves, their family, pets, friends, job etc.. In each ident, the video submitter and their hometown are listed on small lateral lines. The contest was concluded on March 2012.

Variants: There are about 30 variants known to exist, each one being relatively same in terms of concept.
 * We see some kids and their parents playing around with the younger kid throwing a ball to the air, bouncing it on his head and then kicking it at ground level towards the photographer. Here, the vertical line on the right side is, black and white, while the rotating cube logo has tiles on all sides.
 * We see a dog playing around and following its master on a training camp, as it suddenly notices the photographer. It then proceeds moving off-screen. The vertical line on the right side is, dark green and white, with the cube logo having multicoloured tiles on its sides.
 * A firefighter slides down along a pole and puts on his working clothes. On the left side, the vertical line is white, black and, while the cube logo has yellow tiles on all sides.
 * A person is hopping on a boat in an attempt to go fishing. On the left side, the vertical line is dark green, white and yellow with the rotating cube having multicoloured tiles on its sides.
 * We see a young kid sitting on the floor right next to her pet dog, looking towards the camera. A transparent green vertical line could be spotted moving slowly to the left, while a solid vertical line coloured yellow, dark green and white appears on the right side with a multicoloured cube logo.
 * Young girl draws on a sheet of paper with a pencil, as she then stops and looks at her drawing. A vertical line with yellow, dark green and white colours appears on the right side with the multicoloured cube rotating on the bottom.
 * The night-time variant is completely separate from the regular variants, having multiple bright dots combining together to morph into a large cube logo with a few unrelated bright dots seen around it on a dark cyan background. Before becoming solid, the cube with the dots around it rotates at a rapid pace before all dots burst out of the screen and the solid cube logo with dark cyan tiles and bright "2"s on all sides approaches the screen and disappears completely.

Technique: The life-action footage, the spinning cube, the detailed vertical line, the small lines with the video information.

Audio: A simple seven-note tune played with different variants.

Audio Variants:
 * A wild and upbeat version of the tune played with the synthesiser.
 * A calm rendition of the tune played with piano.
 * There is another calm version of the tune played with synthesiser.
 * Another wild version of the theme played during idents with fast situations.
 * The night-time variant has first four notes of the tune played with brief chimes heard afterwards.

Availability: Each ident was presented for about two months as a startup ident and prior the beginning programme. The separate night-time variant is used as a closedown ident, but it was also featured prior late night programmes. With 30 variants to exist, there are lots of these to be found.

6th Logo (February 16-March 4, 2012)
Visuals: We have different versions of the number "2" illustrated on a white background with the small text "IYLEI TV2" on the bottom. The text "Luomme uutta Kakkosta" ("We are creating a new one from the Second") slowly fades in on the left while sliding right next to the number, while "Kerro, mitä mieltä olet ohjelmista." ("Tell us what you think about the programs.") appears on the right side with the channel's web address placed below it.

Technique: The number "2" on the white background, the text sliding and fading in.

Audio: Same as the previous logo.

Availability: These could be spotted during a short time period of the channel as a preparation for the new channel look set on March 5, 2012.

1st Logo (March 5, 2012-June 14, 2018)
Visuals: After a different type of scenarios usually seen from the person's perspective, we see "yle TV2", with the word "yle" placed inside a white rounded square, popping in and some purple lighting passes through the screen.

Trivia: The Finnish commercial and film production company Kennel Helsinki produced an amount of 65 different ident variants for the channel. Short clips for most of the early variants from 2012 could be spotted on the company's promotional video.

Variants: Early on since its debut in 2012, all variants featured the additional tagline "Yllätä itsesi" ("Surprise yourself") in a script font below the channel logo. The purple lighting effect was only added later in 2014.
 * We see two people holding simple coffee cups with the texts "YOU'RE HOT" and "YOU TOO", and revealing the messages to each other.
 * In a parking garage, a person is placing an empty note pad on a car, that is covered by different coloured ones.
 * There are many different variants taking place on an archipelago during a stormy evening time. One has a person playing a drum set with lighting settings in it like a mad man and then holding his sticks on a cross formation. The other variants involve blocky letters: one has a male person placing several letters to form the word "HEre" and the second one has a female person covering her eyes before another person reveals the complete line "HEre WE GO" to her, exciting her.
 * One variant has two people playing the electric guitar and drums close to a highway bridge at night time.
 * Inside a dark house, a person is setting plastic drink bottles in order like bowling pins, before someone off-screen throws a football towards them.
 * Another variant involves a person playing with a bunny doll with an odd record scratch and other stock sounds heard in the background. We see letters forming the word "GO" with each one placed on an open suitcase, as the person places the bunny doll on the second suitcase along with the "O.
 * The camera scrolls down to reveal a roof landscape of Helsinki on a cloudy day with two people standing there and holding letters that form the word "ME". One person then rotates the letter "M" around to form the word "WE" and they start laughing while looking at each other.
 * The winter-themed variants are different in terms of their pattern, as the purple lighting passes through the screen before the channel logo appears. One variant has the person walking towards an old-fashioned toilet cabin in the forest with hearts smeared on both sides of the door. We then see the person about to take a photo of it. Another one has the person throwing a frisbee on a basket and then cleaning his wool gloves while whistling. The third one has him holding his hand in front of a spruce, where a thick snowflake lands. The fourth one has the person going surfing on the cold water, before noticing how cold it is on his feet. We can hear him shivering as we get a wide view of a Lapland-like setting. The fifth one features the person swimming on a standard Finnish lake alongside a rubber duck.
 * Some variants also centred around a goofy shark balloon. One has the person hiding, while watching a female person entering the elevator, before she amusingly notices the large shark balloon coming out of it and being controlled by the person with his radio controller. The female person angrily notices and quickly approaches towards the person in attempt to take off his controller. Another one has the person sitting on a swing-set with the regular short tune heard in the background. However, the person then stop at one point in the mid-air, as we then see the goofy shark balloon passing through the person's perspective with a threatening Jaws-like theme played on the background.
 * On the top floor, we see a female person relaxing and reading on a sunbed, while a male person is revealed to be running on a treadmill.
 * We see a person drawing an anarchism symbol on the bottom of another person's big toe, as he's lying on a hammock.
 * There are many variants set around what looks like a foreign region. One features a car malfunctioning with the driving picking up a skateboard from the car's trunk and travelling with it instead. Another one has a person letting go of a balloon with a piece of paper with what appears to be a telephone number written on it attached to the rope, as the balloon flies up with the wind. Yet another one has a person sitting in his car with his hairy legs stretching straight out of the side window, while taking pictures of them. One variant simply has a female person waving her hand out of an open side window during the ride. Another one features a direct view of the pavement road, as the camera then scrolls down between the legs of the person, revealing his hands are pushing against the road as a surreal twist of doing gymnastics. Another one has two people inside a car, while one of them is heard whistling the ident tune constantly, in which another person on the backseat crouches and waves her finger at him.
 * A person is drawing small holes and round lines on a sandy beach, as we see shadows of three people with the sand drawings forming eyes and mouths.
 * On a beach at evening time, a person makes a heart with his hands in front of his female companion, who then smiles back at him.
 * Another variant has a female person looking at her ring during her conversation with her male companion on a drinking table. She takes off her ring and places it on her drinking glass much to her male companion's confusion.
 * A person walks towards another person, while holding a light bulb-like decoration on her right hand. She then waves her another hand towards the person, who is seen waving back while decorating the tree with same light bulbs.
 * A few variants are centred around different items that the female person is seen using. One variant has a vintage C cassette player, where she places a C cassette inside, while she is singing the short tune of the ident with loud music heard in the background. We can then barely hear the calm rendition of the tune as she plays the cassette at the end. Another one has an vintage telephone, as she is then heard saying "Hello?" after she picks up the phone handset.
 * One variant has a closeup shot on a soggy VHS tape on right with a couple of people hanging around at a far distance. One of them lights a match and throws it on the VHS tape, setting it on fire (the liquid around the tape was most likely petrol).

Technique: The live-action footage, the logo itself, the lighting effect.

Audio: A short five-note tune with an additional jingle heard in the end.

Audio Variants: The tune comes in many different variations in each variant, either played simply with a piano, electric guitar, synthesiser or even whistling. Additionally, the live audio of the background sounds are also added for most of the variants. A rather bizarre and rare rendition featured only in a couple of winter variants in 2018, features the jingle played with fart noises.

Availability: ince June 14, 2018. Generally played prior the next programme. Variants with the addition of the tagline were featured since 2012 up until 2014. There are much more variants to be found.

2nd Logo (June 14, 2018-)
Visuals: Unknown.

Variants: Unknown.

Technique: Unknown.

Audio: Unknown.

Availability: Unknown.