17 May 2005

Unsettled British Weather

The BBC has revamped its weather graphics, with 3D maps and areas of rain/shadow replacing the 2D ones covered in simple symbols (which had remained largely unchanged for years).

My immediate reaction is that it’s… iffy. On a superficial level, the brown looks dreary and depressing, and the typography doesn’t seem to quite fit in with the rest of the BBC’s current identity. At times the perspective significantly distorts the view of the UK (the SNP isn’t happy), and is abandoning symbols the right thing to do? Certainly the new maps give a more precise prediction of shade and precipitation, but some people aren’t able to precisely pinpoint their own location anyway and I think many will struggle to interpret the layered three-dimensional imagery.

Similar issues arise all the time in design; knowing what level of abstraction to use when presenting information is crucial, and often involves resisting the lures of both extreme minimal symbolism and flashy realistic imagery. I reckon the BBC weather forecast will slip back a little towards abstraction over time, and the green and pleasant land will surely return to replace bleak desert.

(update: the perspective has now been altered)