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Ten Years Of The NBC Arthouse


Jess

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NBC Artworks has a little celebration video on their vimeo feed commemorating ten years of the Artworks Texas facility, or as it was originally called (and maybe still is?), the NBC Arthouse. I'm surprised it's been that long, frankly.

 

I mean, it was a cost saving experiment for the company. And the graphics at a lot of the station really declined at the beginning (owing to the questionable decision to use the KNBC Novocom package to start out).

 

But... it's worked out rather well, hasn't it?

 

They've hit their stride now, and they've put out quite a few packages that really are some of the best out there. Their designs are good enough that non O&Os want to use them, and even the ones that didn't quite work are better than what other graphics groups have put out.

 

Not only that, but let's be honest - they've proved that hubbing graphics at a central facility not only works, but when done right can enhance a broadcast. Yeah, if they didn't lead with that example we wouldn't have abominations like Gannett Look 1 or misfires like the CBS O&O look. But we wouldn't have had stuff like the incredibly innovative Gannett Look 2, or the sublime Hearst diagrid package.

 

So... ten years. What do you think?

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Artworks really has come a long way. I remember Look A, the Novocom look, the (would be) block look and Look C. Now we have Look F and the KARK package (Look E?); it has been quite a decade for the graphics team at Artworks. NBC has one of the better centralized setups in my opinion; standard looks but just enough wiggle room for uniqueness. Here's to ten more years of great graphics and well-executed designs! :D

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The package used by KXAS, KARK, and apparently meant for WNBC is Look G. The block look is "Look E", but that's never been confirmed. It might have been meant as Look F (Chicago's early vimeos of their version do call it "F2"). And if you really think about it, that look might have morphed into Look G. If you look at 360's video reel for their O&O music (which is the "Look E" demo reel), and the demo for Look G, there are parts you can tell were derived from Look E.

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Look G was meant for WNBC? I never knew that. If there's one look that's overdone, it's that one. Look E doesn't compare in terms of garishness.

 

Artworks does produce some great work though. I think it's a lot easier to standardize when all of your affiliates are affiliates of the same network, but even on a national level, Artworks has a great way of combining good typography, bold color palettes, and sharp yet tasteful animation. I do appreciate that Look F has also hit a nice balance of looking uniform while allowing some freedom for stations to express a local identity more so than other station groups that merely have "insert video here" strategies.

 

I think they could push even farther in terms of having a more integrated look — such as standardized lower thirds and basic fullscreen layouts across all platforms like the Beeb — but overall, everything from the local stations, to the network news, CNBC, and MSNBC all have unique looks that share a common ethos, and for the most part, they've been consistently good.

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Question: can other NBC affiliates that are non O&O request some type of graphic work be done for them? It would be pretty cool to see a non O&O have a graphics package made for them.

 

I'm pretty sure that Look G was originally created for and used by KARK. Right?

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Question: can other NBC affiliates that are non O&O request some type of graphic work be done for them? It would be pretty cool to see a non O&O have a graphics package made for them.

 

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Arthouse did the other packages for Nexstar as well...
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I'm pretty sure that Look G was originally created for and used by KARK. Right?

 

 

I don't believe so. They just so happened to be the first to buy it.

 

 

If I'm not mistaken, I believe Arthouse did the other packages for Nexstar as well...

 

 

The other thread about KRNV discusses this, but no. At least that's what we think. There's a demo reel out there with the WNBC branding all over it, so we came down to the conclusion that Look G was originally designed for WNBC, but dropped, taking on Look F instead. Then Nexstar picked it up for all of their NBC affiliates with KARK being the first one to use it (and for a while too I believe). The lone exception to this so far is KXAS which also uses it.

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