Auntie straightens her skirts

Auntie straightens her skirts

The BBC's new logo, will straighten up the diagonal letters, give them a smoother, rounder look and remove the coloured bars beneath them, the corporation confirmed yesterday.

It is part of a plan to save money and create a single worldwide corporate identity which will work in any medium - especially the Internet and digital television.

The new logo will cost pounds 1.7m-a-year for three years. Making its debut on screen next October, it will gradually be seen on all other products during the three years.

The existing logo, first unveiled in 1986, has diagonal edges, which do not look good in a medium made entirely of horizontal and vertical lines. The revised, upright version will sit more comfortably on television and computer screens.

The BBC said the advent of digital television, bringing an avalanche of new channels and services, had forced an image rethink. With straighter letters in square blocks, the logo becomes more modern, while retaining its "BBC-ness", said consultant designer Martin Lambie-Nairn.