So, this green splat thing that GobFM uses for its logo. What is it? Where did it come from? And, who created it? All perfectly good questions. But calm down...., take a deep breath...., relax...., and read on.
Well, it is a gob splat; a phlegm bomb; a flob; loogey; spit shot. Call it what you will. We've seen footballers do them on the telly and we have seen uncouth peasants do them on the streets of our hallowed towns and cities. Spitting. Not big, and certainly not clever. (See GobFM Rants). You have to understand, you see, that the "Gob" of "GobFM" doesn't actually pertain to gob or phlegm, spittle or saliva, or even mucus. It is merely a severe but fortuitous contraction of "Graham" plus "Robert". Poor Denise didn't get a look in on the name, but she did design our now familiar and easily recogniseable logo. Here it is, in its original aspect ratio:
It was created on our old Commodore 64 Web-It Internet Computer.
"On your what!!??" I hear you ask.
Well, back in the days when GobFM still called "GobFM Towers" its home, space was limited, and funds at a premium. We wanted internet access and email, but we didn't have space for a conventional desktop PC, and didn't want to fork out for a laptop (yet).
However, the good folk at QVC (TV shopping channel) were hawking a piece of kit which plugged into the scart socket of a TV, and gave you internet access, web based email, and several other computer applications based around a modified version of Windows 3, including: a word processor; spreadsheet; and "Paintbrush". So, we got one.
Here are a couple of pictures of the humble but quite useful machine.
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The fact that it is now more or less obsolete (due to the browser being non-upgradeable) was not an issue at the time. What did matter was the fact that GobFM now had, among other things, a means of creating and saving digital doodles. And a doodle is exactly what the GobFM logo arose out of. Basically, Denise was just doodling with the "Paintbrush" application late one Sunday evening during an unofficial GobFM crew meeting (a.k.a. "drink-up"), when suddenly we realised that, before us on the TV screen was something which could be adopted as a logo for GobFM. Thus inspired, Denise skillfully added some shading and highlights, and "Hey Presto!" the logo was born!
That would have been back in Autumn 1999. The first public appearance of the new logo was on the inlay for the GobFM recorded on 6th November that year. A show which we rather appropriately dedicated to QVC and entitled "Today's Special Value". The logo has appeared on every inlay since then, and could also be seen adorning the cap worn by The Gobmeister himself (until it got nicked).
Merchandise bearing the Official and Approved GobFM logo may be available for devotees to purchase in the future!