Russ J Graham on an untraced pre-launch symbol that didn't point north
From a book on graphic design comes this symbol, noted as being “Granada TV Network symbol, 1956”. Yet it was never used on air.
Most interestingly, the symbol is clearly pointing west. Now this could mean that the symbol was designed for Granada’s hoped-for 7-day Manchester contract (which they eventually got in 1968), but why west?
Other than strictly logically, no-one thinks of Manchester as being west (a term, thanks to the BBC Regional Programme and Home Service, exclusively reserved for Bristol). Manchester has always been considered North West rather than west.
Andrew Hesford-Booth points out the similarity between this symbol and the Granada Media symbol created in the late 1990s. However, the chances of this having lain dormant for 40 years before being rejigged into a the Granada Media symbol seem remote. More likely that this is co-incidence.
Another possibility would be that this is the symbol for Granada Theatres or Granada Group prior to 1955. The flaw there is a lack of evidence - no sign of the symbol on photos of cinemas at the time.
Perhaps an internal symbol? Something used on headed notepaper but not elsewhere? A distinct possibility in these design conscious days, but not the norm in the 1950s.
Indeed, the 1950s and before are noticeable for the application of one symbol to dozens - hundreds - of disparate parts of the same group. Witness BET, owner of Rediffusion, slapping the adastral star onto towel rails, hand-driers, burglar alarms, television stations, dustbins, flight simulators and everything else they did.
So this symbol remains somewhat a mystery. If you know what this symbol was used for - or was planned to be used for - you know where we are.
