V&A lines up design groups

The Victoria & Albert Museum is on the verge of appointing a graphic design consultancy to work on one of its largest ever projects, the British Galleries, and is about to select an exhibition specialist to create its autumn show, Radical Fashion.

Meanwhile V&A head of marketing Sarah Gray confirms the museum will look at its brand identity to lose its stuffy image, as soon as incoming director Mark Jones joins in the summer.

V&A held a pitch for Radical Fashion about a month ago. It has shortlisted: Butterfield Design; Event Communications; Jasper Jacob Associates; Lumsden Design Partnership; and Spiro Communications, a spokeswoman confirms.

Radical Fashion will showcase cutting-edge fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and Issey Miyake.

The V&A is appointing a graphics specialist for its 15 British Galleries, joining Casson Mann, which is designing the individual galleries. It has shortlisted: Agenda Design; Felton Communications; Farrow Design; Frost Design; Johnson Banks; Lippa Pearce; and Zuckerman Tighe.

The galleries, which open in November, are one of the most important undertaken by the V&A and will create one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of British art and design, says the museum spokeswoman.

Interbrand conducted focus group research last year as part of an overall brand audit. “The overall brand identity of the museum will be top of [Jones’] list. It will be our biggest marketing challenge,” says Gray. Recommendations made in Interbrand’s report will be put on hold until he takes up his position.