Natural History Museum
London’s Natural History Museum boasts one of the world’s largest collections of its kind in the world. It is a world-leading scientific institution employing over 300 scientists and curators and at the same time is one of London’s most popular visitor attractions welcoming over 3 million visitors a year.
The problem the museum faced at the start of 2003 was how to re-define its brand so that it would appeal to an ever more diverse audience without compromising its scientific status. It suffered from a confusing plethora of different names and sub-brands, while its15 year old visual identity was looking rather tired and fragmented.
We began by working with individuals and groups representing all departments to articulate more concisely what the museum stood for and together we defined the underlying theme that would hold all its activities together – The Power of Nature. Next, we defined the creative brief and helped in the selection process of the design agency.
Working as a close-knit team, we developed a more rational and integrated system for naming and identifying the different parts, a more coherent tone of voice for written material and a distinctive but flexible visual identity to represent the diversity of the collection.
In 2006 the brand won Design Week’s Benchmarks Best in Show award for the best brand identity of the last three years.
“Jane Wentworth Associates has played a pivotal role in the evolution of the Natural History Museum brand and we have found them easy, flexible and fun to work with. They offered a high level of expertise, an intuitive ability to work well right across the organisation and a healthy dose of much needed patience!”
Design by: Hat Trick Design