Why the BBC Changed Its Logo In 2022 | The Design Of The BBC - Part 3

In October 2022, the BBC unveiled a new logo. At first glance, the change seemed subtle — the iconic three blocks were still there. But on closer inspection, almost everything had shifted.

The new logo swapped out Gill Sans, the typeface the BBC had relied on since 1997, for its own in-house font: BBC Reith. The letters were slimmer, the boxes spread wider apart, and the overall design was sharper, more digital-friendly.

So why did the BBC make this change?

This video takes a deep dive into the story behind the BBC’s 2022 rebrand. We’ll look at how the legendary 1997 redesign by Martin Lambie-Nairn unified the brand, why it lasted so long, and how cracks began to show as new channels, apps, and platforms demanded their own visual identities.

We’ll explore the role of the BBC Reith typeface, why Gill Sans became a problem, and how the 2022 rebrand — developed with Wolff Olins and the BBC’s in-house team — aims to clean up decades of visual clutter.

And while some say the redesign feels underwhelming, others argue it’s exactly what a modern public broadcaster needs: practical, legible, digital-first, and built to last.

Was the 2022 rebrand revolutionary, or just maintenance? Let’s find out.