How are Idents designed?
Idents initial design is to attract audiences to their logo and brand, and by doing this, sometimes they associate the film they created with the ident. For example, they used an ident for Shrek, 2001, that was associated with the film. The orchestral music used also played a huge part in the ongoing success of dreamworks, as it was originally used for Shrek. The success of Shrek meant that they could adapt the theme song and use it for their brand, as then, everybody would recognise it and associate dreamworks with success. Dreamworks create their idents to connote peace (apart from their ident for The Ring, 2002). This is due to the fact their films are mainly aimed at younger audiences, so they need to build an atmosphere and excitement within them.
Dreamworks Montage of Idents:
https://youtu.be/xPpy8mYHQps
Universal Studios' ident on the other hand is colossal, which we can denote that the brand is worldwide and extremely marketable. Over the years, the Universal idents theme hasn't changed yet the theme song has, due to the expansion and the modern possibility of new sounds that can be created, yet they have kept the theme song the same for around 20 years. The theme song has always had the same vibe around it, yet has been developed over the years.
The old ident was very modern in its time, and had the same impact as the new one, but in that era. They removed the plane from the ident as they felt it overdone the initial intro to the film. Keeping it simple over the years with the colossal globe that shines in sunlight had a much more effective way to engage the demographic, along with the 'Universal' logo, which is a brand worldwide now, and has created opportunities like making theme parks based on its films and brand.
https://youtu.be/m9aJiiYKXNo
The MGM ident over the years has developed slightly. They have always featured the lion, as this connotes power. The fact they always include the roar gives a more powerful impact upon viewers, as well as representing the film that is to be shown. For example, James Bond, an ongoing MGM production, always has this ident before the film. James Bond, being a massive ongoing source of synergy and brand for MGM, is their best source of income and revenue.