Independent Television News (Production Logos)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Independent Television News is a news company in Britain, founded in 1955. It is the news subsidiary of ITV.



1st Logo (November 15, 1969-1988)

Visuals: It mainly involves the 1969 logo against a blue background.

Variants:

  • On The ITN Story, the logo appears on a black background with the words "AN" and "PRODUCTION" appearing above and below the logo, respectively.
  • On Granada Television International co-productions, the logo, with its full name underneath, is shown within a dark teal box with a double gold border.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on programmes by ITN from the time-period until 1988.

  • It is unknown where the standard logo can be found.
  • The Granada co-production variant was spotted on Battle of the Falklands and From D-Day to Europe Victory, respectively.
    • Videoespaña's VHS release of the latter also kept this logo on said film.

2nd Logo (Late 1980s-1992)


Visuals: On a dark blue background, there is a big 3D "ITN" floating atop a body of rippling water containing its reflection.

Variant: On Shooting Stars of the 80's, the copyright notice reading "© Independent Television News Ltd. 1990" appears below the logo.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A calm, cool xylophone ditty with an ethereal sounder in the background. Sometimes, it can be silent.

Availability: This logo is seen on ITN Video releases at the time from The Video Collection.

3rd Logo (1988-November 8, 1992)

Visuals: Against a custom background is the 1987 version of the previous logo filled blue with a gold outline. It is also 3D and has the text "AN INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS PRODUCTION FOR" and the 1989 ITV logo underneath.

Variants:

  • There exist several animated sequences of this logo. Sometimes, the ITN logo may appear within the end credits before animating afterwards:
    • One variant has it laying down before rising up after the end credits finish rolling.
    • Another one has the logo in a shiny texture next to the gold numbers "540". The ITN logo zooms in and rests on the top center. After that, the background crossfades to a gradient gray background.
  • In its first year of use until September 1989, there is no text underneath the logo.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability: Seen on news programmes, most namingly ITN-produced news bulletins such as ITN News, ITN News at 5:30 and ITN Morning News, among others.

4th Logo (November 9, 1992-1995)

Visuals: On a dimly lit gray grided background is the previous logo with a transparent outline, gray lateral faces, and a blue fill. Underneath it is the company name in an Impact-like font and the same color as the logo's fill.

Variants:

  • On all ITV news programmes, the words "AN ITN PRODUCTION FOR ITV" with the 1989 ITV logo appears at the bottom of the screen. Additionally, a line of text indicating the time that the next news programme will start may be included in between the logo and ITV notice. It generally reads "Next national news at (time)" with a period or bullet point in between the hour and minute times.
    • Sometimes, the company's name is more above of the logo, in a slightly small size.
    • On Carlton airings of ITN News, a new line of text indicating the upcoming news' starting time in the Granada region is added, complete with open and closed parentheses.
  • On A Tax Too Far, the logo is inside a box cropped to where the logo takes up most of it.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme.

Availability: Like before, this was seen on ITV news programmes such as ITN News at Ten and a few documentaries including A Tax Too Far.

  • However, it did not appear on Channel 4 News at the time, since an in-credit notice was used instead.

5th Logo (1995-January 16, 2006; January 15, 2015)

Visuals: On a blue background is a white outlined version of the 1969 logo. Underneath it reads "An ITN production".

Variants:

  • In some cases, other co-producers' logos may appear within ITN's (i.e. ITV (and with the 1989 ITV logo until October 4, 1998)).
  • From October 1997 to 1998, specifically on ITV-produced programmes, the ITV URL also appears at the bottom right of the screen reading "www.itv.co.uk".
  • On Channel 4 News, the text underneath changes into "An ITN Production for Channel 4".
    • From 2003, the words "An and "Production" appears on the left and bottom right with the 1999 Channel 4 "Square" logo on the right side.
    • Another variant has the 2004-2015 Channel 4 logo appearing with the ITN logo with no text appearing below the ITN logo.
  • On some documentaries, the logo is aligned to the left whereas the right is black, belonging to the 1999 Channel 4 "Square" logo.
  • On ITN World News, the text underneath the ITN logo reads "An ITN Production for NBC Super Channel" with the copyright disclaimer for ITN appearing below.
  • On Channel 5 News, the text was changed into "An ITN Production for Channel 5" with the copyright disclaimer for ITN and the URL for the ITN website underneath.
    • 2002-2004 editions have the logo on the right side and on a vertical blue bar.
  • Beginning on October 5, 1998, the text reads "An ITN production", and from March 1999 until late 2001, the URL reading "www.itn.co.uk" (later "itn.co.uk") appears at the bottom of the screen.
  • For documentaries that were produced by its factual division such as Princess Diana: The Week The World Stood Still, the text below reads "An ITN Factual Production", sometimes with a copyright notice appearing blow.
  • For each Christmas on ITN News (now ITV News), the logo is themed around the holiday:
    • 1995: Santa Claus is walking past the logo, stopping in the bottom center to face the screen before continuing to stroll. He also leaves dark footsteps.
    • 1996: A mistletoe is placed on the top right of the logo.
    • 1997: It's snowing on the blue background before "Merry Christmas from" in a Brush Script font writes itself on the background before the logo appears (with "Merry Christmas from" glowing briefly as the logo appears). After that, the "An ITN production for ITV" (with "ITV" still being in the form of the 1989 ITV logo) text then appears along with a Christmas tree and the URL reading "www.itv.co.uk" appearing at the same time.
    • 2002: The logo is snowing and a different mistletoe is shown, this time being darker.
  • A 50th anniversary variant places a gold bar containing a white "50" next to the logo.
  • On The Meyssan Conspiracy, the logo, alongside its disclaimer and copyright notice, are within a blue box.
  • An Iraqi TV broadcast has a similar variant to the above one but without a copyright notice and the logo is now paired with the Out There News logo.
  • On The Search for the Northwest Passage, the logo is cropped where only the logo is shown.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on news bulletins produced for various networks including Channel 4 (Channel 4 News), Channel 5 (Channel 5 News), and ITV (ITN News (now ITV News since March 8, 1999)).

  • This logo can also be found on many documentaries from this period in which only a few are known to have been preserved on home media or archival sites.
    • For instance, this logo is intact on the VHS release of Diana, Princess of Wales: The People's Princess.
  • It can also be seen on Brits Go To Hollywood.
  • The 1995 ITN endcap with the 1989 ITV logo was also seen at the end of an October 28, 2002 edition of the ITV Morning News, possibly due to an editing error.
    • Speaking of surprise appearances, it also made a brief revival in 2015 on Channel 4 News.
  • The Christmas variants were only seen during Christmas Day on ITN News (now ITV News).

6th Logo (January 16, 2006-June 18, 2006)

Visuals: The 1995 logo, with its bottom disclaimer intact, is now on a dodger blue background consisting of light rays on the top right half and a dark shade of blue on the bottom left. The logo also flashes.

Variants:

  • The words "RTS News Programme of the Year" also appears below the bottom disclaimer which also exists.
  • On Channel 4 News, the logo is on the left whereas the 2004 Channel 4 logo is shown on the right.

Technique: 2D computer animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: It was used for a short-time on programmes produced by ITN such as ITV News from January 16 until June 18, 2006.

  • It was also seen on Channel 4 News from January 16 until June 18, 2006 as well.

7th Logo (June 19, 2006-2015)

Visuals: On a white background, the outlined version of the standard logo rapidly flies out on either the bottom left or right sections of the screen. Above it is "AN ITN PRODUCTION" with four corner borders surrounding it with thin lines connecting them and facing the top left. Said object would flip in, albeit in a slightly slower pace as the ITN logo, and slowly zoom out.

Variants:

  • The slogan which reads "RIGHT CONTENT, RIGHT NOW" was used for a short time as well during June 2006.
  • Depending on the programme, the logo may be dodger blue, magenta, lime, dark red, or white.
  • Sometimes, the logo is vertically aligned. Here, the ITN logo is placed on top of the "AN ITN PRODUCTION" box.
    • On Channel 4 News, the logo is aligned to the left whereas the 2004 Channel 4 logo is shown on the right.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on news bulletins such as ITV News (until January 13, 2013), Channel 4 News, and Channel 5 News.

  • In terms of documentaries, only one is known to have this logo: The Queen: A Life in Film.

8th Logo (2006-2015)

Visuals: In a similar appearance as the previous logo, the 2006 logo is red and sitting next to "PRODUCTIONS" surrounded by four corner borders. Underneath it is the copyright notice.

Variants:

  • On several programmes, "PRODUCTION" is replaced with "FACTUAL".
    • On Building Britain's Ultimate Warship, the logo is inside a white box.
    • On The Data Theft Scandal, the logo has a shadow effect.
  • On Cruises Undercover: The Truth Below Deck, the logo is inside a rectangular white box.
  • On Iraqi Women, only the 1995 ITN logo is shown alongside its "ITN Factual" notice and the Out There News logo.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on documentaries produced by the company such as Climbing Great Buildings, Cruises Undercover: The Truth Below Deck, The Amy Winehouse Story, among others.

  • The Factual variant was seen on Building Britain's Ultimate Warship and the Dispatches documentary "The Data Theft Scandal".

9th Logo (2015-February 13, 2021)


Visuals: On a black background, multple white and upside down right triangles (resembling stylized shards) slide in. Some of them vary in size while others intersect, forming rhombuses, trapezoids, among others polygons. Shortly before the end of this sequence, the company logo with "productions" in a normal font and a right triangle acting as a period fade in. Following this is their byline "create something amazing. today." fading in, the latter word of it is delayed in animation.

Variants:

  • A still version exists.
  • Sometimes, this logo also shares the screen with other logos (including the 1997 BBC and 2013 ITV logos).
  • Sometimes, the shards are colored hot pink.
  • An alternate variant also exists, which places more shards and the logo as well as its byline are shown in between them.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on Interview With a Murderer, Big Ben: Saving The World's Most Famous Clock (for the standalone logo), ITV Car Crash Global: Caught on Camera, and Trevor McDonald and the Killer Nurse, among others.

  • The alternate variant can be found on The Crazy World of Donald Trump and the Dispatches documentary "The Great Housing Scandal".
  • The hot pink variant can be seen on Frankie Goes to Russia, Inside the Supermarket and 8 Years Old & Smuggling Drugs, respectively.
  • It made its last appearance on Princess Margaret: Queen of Mustique.

10th Logo (2015-November 29, 2022)

Visuals: This is just the standard 2006 ITN logo with a dodger blue outline against a white background.

Variants:

  • On Channel 5 News, the logo is white.
  • Starting in 2019 on Channel 4 News, the logo is above a thin black bar.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on Channel 4 News programmes from the channel's rebranding in September 2015 until November 29, 2022.

  • It was also seen on Channel 5 News programmes until November 29, 2022.

11th Logo (August 1, 2020-November 29, 2022)

Visuals: Same as the ninth logo but here, the many triangles next to the logo, as well as its byline, are removed, leaving just the company name and the right triangle at the end.

Technique: A still image.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: It made one of its first appearances on Grace of Monaco: Hollywood Princess and was also later seen on Secrets of the Krays, Zelenskyy: The Man Who Took on Putin, Dirty Rotten Scammers, and more factual programmes.

12th Logo (November 30, 2022-)

Visuals: Three rings, colored red, green, and cyan, float in one fixed area. Overlapping each other, they form the colors pink, yellow, and white. Within these rings is "ITN". Underneath the logo is "ITN Productions".

Variant:

  • On Channel 4 News, it's the same concept as the 2019 version of the 10th logo's variant, but with an inverted background and with the current ITN logo.
  • On Harry: The Interview, the logo appears with the words "ITN Productions for" and the 2013 ITV logo below.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: The ending theme of the programme or none.

Availability: Seen on ITN-produced programmes since November 30, 2022.

  • It can be seen on factual programmes.
  • It can also be seen on both Channel 4 News and Channel 5 News since November 30, 2022.
  • It was also seen on Harry: The Interview, which is then followed by the 2020 ITV Studios logo.
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