Enjoy this article?
Most Museums Journal content is only available to members. Join the MA to get full access to the latest thinking and trends from across the sector, case studies and best practice advice.
British Museum launches rebrand project
New visual identity to be part of ‘complete transformation’ of London national
The British Museum has launched a £150,000 tender for a project to review and reimagine its brand and visual/vocal identity.
The project is part of the national museum’s masterplan to create new welcome facilities and a collection storage and research centre, as well as redesigning a third of its gallery spaces.
It also follows the appointment of director Nicholas Cullinan, who joined the London institution last spring from the National Portrait Gallery. Previous British Museum director Hartwig Fischer resigned following the controversy created by the theft of items from the collection.
“The British Museum is embarking on a complete transformation and as part of that journey we have launched a project to review and re-imagine our brand and our visual/vocal identity,” the museum said in its tender brief.
“Increasing activity around the museum’s masterplan, and the arrival of a new museum director in 2024 makes now the right moment to consider our vision and values, review our brand and move forward with a compelling new approach to how we communicate and present ourselves.”
The museum has already commissioned an agency for the first phase of the project, which includes a brand audit and creation of a new brand strategy.
Advertisement
The brief states that the successful applicant for the tender will work on the second phase to develop a “flexible and adaptable” brand identity “rooted in our vision and values” that can be rolled out across the entire service – from coffee cups to exhibition posters.
The tender includes the implementation of the new brand, including style guidelines and guidance on brand architecture.
“This identity should comprise a clear system that conveys the brand idea and narrative in such a way that it can be used and applied consistently to internal and external products and services, across our many audiences, locally, nationally, and globally,” the tender states.
The deadline to apply for the nine-month project is 5pm on 3 February 2025. More information can be found on the government’s Find a Tender website.
The British Museum’s current logo is adapted from the font Baskerville, designed by John Baskerville in 1753 – the same year the museum was founded.
Museums Journal will be looking at museum rebrands in the May/June edition - please email rebecca.atkinson@museumsassociation.org if you're interested in submitting a case study