Martin Lambie-Nairn facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Martin Lambie-Nairn
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Martin Lambie-Nairn in 2008
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| Born |
Martin John Lambie
5 August 1945 |
| Died | 25 December 2020 (aged 75) England
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| Alma mater | Canterbury College of Art |
| Occupation | Designer |
| Years active | 1965–2020 |
| Known for | Channel 4 "Blocks" logo BBC1 "Virtual Globe" BBC Two 'The 2s' idents The Personality 2s Rhythm & Movement BBC One 'Balloon' idents Spitting Image |
| Spouse(s) |
Cordelia Summers
(m. 1970) |
| Children | 3 |
Martin John Lambie-Nairn (born 5 August 1945 – died 25 December 2020) was a famous English designer. He started his own design companies, Lambie-Nairn and ML-N. He is known for changing how TV channels looked, using computers to create cool logos and animations for screens.
Lambie-Nairn also helped create the funny puppet show Spitting Image in the 1980s. Some of his most well-known designs include the first Channel 4 logo from 1982. He also made over 30 different animations (called "idents") for BBC Two starting in 1991. Later, he helped redesign the look for the whole BBC in 1997 and the BBC Regional News in 2008.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Martin Lambie-Nairn was born in Croydon, England. He went to art school at Canterbury College of Art. This school is now part of the University for the Creative Arts.
Career Highlights
Starting in Television Design
Lambie-Nairn began his career in television at the BBC in 1965. He worked as an assistant designer there. Later, he became a graphic designer for other TV companies like ITN and London Weekend Television.
At ITN, he helped create the on-screen graphics for the Apollo space missions. He also designed ITN's main logo and the opening sequence for News at Ten. In 1976, he started his own company, Robinson Lambie-Nairn. This company later became Lambie-Nairn & Company in 1990.
Revolutionary TV Logos
Using new computer animation, Lambie-Nairn created a groundbreaking logo for Channel 4. This was the famous "Blocks" logo. It launched the new TV channel on 2 November 1982. This design was used for 14 years and changed how TV channels presented themselves.
In 1981, he came up with the original idea for the British TV show Spitting Image. This show featured puppets that made fun of famous people. It ran for 11 years and was a big hit.
After his work on Channel 4 and Spitting Image, he directed computer-animated commercials. He even made the first 30-second computer-generated TV ad in the UK for Smarties candy.
Designing for the BBC
In 1990, Lambie-Nairn became a creative director for the BBC brand. He held this important job for 12 years. During this time, his company redesigned the look of the BBC and all its channels.
One of his most popular designs was for BBC Two. He created a series of unique "idents" (short animations shown between programs). These idents were very popular and even received fan mail. For BBC1, he redesigned the well-known "globe" logo. This globe had been a symbol of the BBC since 1963.
Later, Lambie-Nairn again redesigned the look for BBC One. He created the red hot air balloon idents that started in 1997. These idents showed the idea that BBC One brought the whole world to every part of the UK. This was part of a bigger redesign for the BBC, including a new look for the BBC blocks logo and BBC News.
Lambie-Nairn also helped design the logos for many other BBC channels. These included BBC News 24, BBC World, CBeebies, CBBC, BBC Four, and BBC Three. In 1997, he wrote a book called Brand Identity for Television: With Knobs On. In this book, he shared how he and his team created these famous designs.
He also helped create the Rhythm & Movement idents for BBC One in 2002. In 2001, he made the Personality 2s idents for BBC Two. These featured robotic number 2s, each with its own unique personality.
Other Major Projects
Besides the BBC, Lambie-Nairn and his company designed logos for many other TV channels. These included ITV channels like Carlton and Central, as well as S4C, TF1, Arte, and Disney Channel UK. In 2002, his company also helped change BT Cellnet into the O2 mobile phone brand.
In 2008, he led the creation of a new, unified red-and-white look for BBC News. This design included videos of local landmarks and people. Parts of this design are still used today.
Later Career
In 2009, Lambie-Nairn left his original company to join Heavenly as a creative director. There, he designed the launch look for Sky Atlantic and BBC Entertainment. Later, he started his own design company called ML-N in London. In 2011, he worked as a creative consultant for the Royal Opera House.
Through ML-N, he also worked for the research company TNS. In 2016, he joined Red&White and helped create a new logo for his old art school, the University of Northampton. In 2020, he was interviewed for a BBC Four show called The Sound of TV, which aired shortly before he passed away.
Personal Life and Passing
Martin Lambie-Nairn passed away on 25 December 2020, at the age of 75. Channel 4 remembered him during a break in their programs, showing one of the original channel idents he helped create in the 1980s.
He was married to Cordelia Summers in 1970.
Awards and Recognition
Lambie-Nairn received many awards for his design work. He was a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI) and a Fellow of the Royal Television Society. He also won the D&AD President's Award, the Prince Philip Design Prize, and several Promax Awards.
He received a Gold D&AD award for his work on Channel 4. He also won a BAFTA award for his designs for BBC Two.
He was given honorary doctorates (special degrees) from the University of Lincoln and the University of Northampton. He was also a visiting professor at the Faculty of Art, Architecture and Design.
See also
- Lambie-Nairn
