The BBC's new-look News designs have drawn complaints from viewers, some referring to dizziness or nausea.

Scores of people wrote to give their opinions on the corporation's website about the £550,000 revamp after being invited to do so by BBC Newsroom boss Peter Horrocks.

The new look sees BBC News 24 re-branded as BBC News and the newsroom design overhauled.

The BBC1 bulletins at 1pm, 6pm and 10pm become BBC News at One, BBC News at Six and BBC News at Ten to emphasise the BBC News identity.

Mr Horrocks wrote on the website today, saying the money spent gave real value and insisting it was not a case of style over substance.

A BBC spokeswoman said there had been a "relatively low key response" in terms of phone calls - seven from the public of which just three were complaints.

She said: "Following Peter Horrocks' blogs on the News changes there have been around 170 comments posted expressing a range of views - some negative and some positive .

"Within this there have been a very small number referring to dizziness or nausea but there have been many more discussing the new look, name changes and reasons for doing it."

The aim behind the new look, which includes swirling visual features, was to be clear, direct and fresh.

But one viewer wrote on the BBC's website: "The swirling ringed globe is an irritating downgrade of what was an already excellent, clean cut, and worldwide brand image.

"On my hi-def screen, I turn away as it makes me feel dizzy."

Another comment described the new designs as "awful - most distracting and disturbing".

Someone else commented: "Generally, it seems to be good, although the way the globe keeps changing rather quickly and flashily makes my head spin rather.

"I don't know what effect it would have on an epileptic person."

Another complaint said: "The background to the new News looks like a vandalised scratched plastic window on a bus shelter."

And another viewer said the old set looked like it was coming from a newsroom - but "now it could be coming from any old shed".

Comparing the design with the graffiti-style London 2012 Olympics logo which came under heavy criticism last year, another viewer thought the BBC was playing it safe.

They said: "Feels like a cautious decision rather than a radical one.

"Probably afraid of creating a backlash like the London Olympics did with their logo.

"As a result it looks fine, but nothing great."

But another comment said: "What a complete waste of licence payers' money. Not only that but logo is ugly and over-complicated."

The corporation has also recently drawn controversy over changes to its weather maps - but the BBC said the calls it had received about the re-branding were on a much smaller scale.

The BBC spokeswoman said: "There is absolutely no comparison at this stage to the response to the weather maps changes which precipitated thousands of complaints."

On a more positive note, someone wrote: "It's a great look, but still some ironing out left to do.."

Someone described the look as "fresh" and another comment read: "Mind you, the music is good, and we'll all think this is brilliant in a year when you're changing it again."

Answering some of the comments, Mr Horrocks told viewers on the website that the audience had been consulted.

He continued: "Clarifying and reinforcing the BBC News brand is about defending its values for the future, not throwing those values away.

"We were accused of 'spending tons of money'.

"The £550,000 cost of the changes is a large sum of money, but spread over all of BBC News services in the UK and around the world, and over many years, we feel it gives real value.

"In terms of specific criticisms, the changes to the channel names and the bulletins were probably the most contentious.

"But we believe they do make sense in the context of the increasing lack of awareness of the BBC News brand.

"Of course if you'd like to carry on referring to the channel as 'News 24' and the bulletin as 'The Ten O' Clock' then that's fine by me.

"But I'm proud of BBC News, so I see no harm (and plenty of benefit) in us telling the audience where their programmes come from...

"These changes are not about style over substance.

"They are part of a massive series of changes that are equipping BBC News as an organisation to deliver multimedia journalism to all our audiences.

"We are spending far more time and money on investing in improvements to the content of our journalism than we are on marketing and branding."