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This week BBC announced the rebrands of both Cbeebies and CBBC, its flagship children’s channels. As a result of its £7m rebrand in 2022, its children’s TV logos have been added to the monolithic brand architecture that the corporation has created.

What is monolithic branding?

The monolithic brand architecture, also known as the ‘branded house’ is characterised by a dominant master brand which has a dominating effect on the sub-brands within it. 

Other notable monolithic brands include Google, Virgin and FedEx.

BBC rebrand summary

Since the introduction of the BBC logo in 1958, the three squares have been a staple over the years, in a variety of shapes and forms, and have become a symbol of the organization. BBC Reuth, a new font that was released in 2021 as part of the new logo, is a font that allows the corporation’s monogram to breathe by giving it more space within the square, making the logo look more modern.

In keeping with its block style, BBC has also released a set of boxed icons for each of its digital services, including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, all in the style of the block style. The use of colour is also used to distinguish the different services from each other.

Cbeebies and CBBC rebrand

In order to follow in the footsteps of its parent brands, the children’s channel now follows a monolithic architecture. By maintaining the master brand whilst still using a more stylized font for the channel name, the corporation branding remains consistent with the use of the master brand within the corporate branding of the company. Similarly to the rebranding of the digital services, the channels also have their own colour palette that sets them apart from one another whilst still staying within the framework of the architecture as a whole.

Despite the fact that CBBC has undergone several rebrandings over the years, the most notable being the 2016 logo which emphasises a modern, technology-driven approach to the channel. However this is the first major logo change for the pre-school channel since its incorporation in 2001.

Even though we miss the branding associated with these iconic channels from times gone by, we love how the corporation has consolidated its flagship children’s channels under one brand house, while still displaying its own distinctive style while doing so.

Have you got a portfolio of brands that could benefit from a rebrand to bring more cohesion to your business? Contact us about our Branding Design services today…