UKTV Play Motion Toolkit

Branded Motion Toolkits
  • Client | UKTV Play
    Production | Buff
    Design & Animation | Buff

UKTV Play is a video-on-demand service offering catch-up programming from UKTV's free-to-air channels Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday.

The Challenge

UKTV Play approached us with a brief to create a toolkit of animated elements for their channel rebrand. The feeling from UKTV Play was that the existing brand lacked some personality and was visually outdated. Through the rebrand, they were seeking to reposition and come up with something to refresh their brand image and stand out from the other video-on-demand services.

The challenge for us was to take the new static branding and explore how this could come to life through motion. Adding motion to the brand gave us an opportunity to reinforce their key messaging of 'a brilliant mix, just like you'. We needed to ensure the toolkit appealed to multiple audiences, as UKTV Play includes a number of channels showing varying types of shows, Dave, Drama, W and Yesterday.

"As an internal design team, we understand that working with other motion designers can sometimes be tricky, but Buff were a pleasure to work with, and were great at responding to feedback and helping to narrow things down at every stage."

The Solution

The project was split into two parts: R&D and production. We spent most of our time in the first phase where we had loads of fun exploring visual ideas initially as statics and then motion experiments. We had a lot of ideas and took the approach of pushing the boundary of what we could do until we collectively decided it was too far. This gave us some helpful parameters. Working very closely in collaboration with the UKTV Play team, we gave a number of creative presentations and collected their feedback to fold into the next round. UKTV Play picked out what they liked at each stage, narrowing the focus of where we were going with the project. 

Because the content from UKTV Play is so varied, from serious hard-hitting documentaries and drama to fun and lighthearted comedy, we were acutely aware there was a balance to be found with the tone of the animation. It was important for us to come up with something that could be playful and bouncy whilst also at times be more reserved and elegant.

To combat this, we felt it was best to create something using elements incorporated from their shows as well as from UKTV Play brand. This added a sense of human-ness and made the brand feel softer and warmer.

Deliverables:

  • A series of mini idents
  • Branded transitions
  • An animated font

The Impact

"Buff were a real joy to work with. They are a talented bunch and know how to bring brands to life. As an internal design team, we understand that working with other motion designers can sometimes be tricky, but Buff were a pleasure to work with, and were great at responding to feedback and helping to narrow things down at every stage. Buff produced a series of logo animations and moving assets that have given our brand a new lease of life. They delivered a full kit of parts that we can now use to expand and enrich the UKTV Play brand for years to come."
Peter Allinson
,
Head of Design & Brand
UKTV / BBC Studios

Want to understand what branded motion toolkits are exactly and how brands use them? Find out more here!

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