Together creates Towner logo and signage

Together has created the identity, signage and launch materials for Towner, a new contemporary art gallery set to open in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

Towner, the new incarnation of the Towner Art Gallery, will open on 4 April in a new £8.6m building on the Eastbourne seafront designed by Rick Mather Architects.

The building will provide a new home for the gallery, which was set up in 1923 and has a collection of more than 4000 artworks, including pieces by Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore and Eric Ravilious, who studied and taught at Eastbourne School of Art.

Together was appointed following a six-way credentials pitch in March 2008, and tasked with creating an identity, as well as wayfinding signage, exhibition graphics, merchandising and printed materials for the opening.

The marque is a lower-case ‘t’ constructed from a single strip, and one initiative created by Together is a guide to making your own ‘Towner t’ from a strip of paper.

The colours used on the logo are inspired by works in the collection, particularly the works of Ravilious, according to Together brand planner Emily Penny.

Penny says, ‘The brand is all about combining sophistication and accessability. Towner will be welcoming and thought-provoking in all it does.’

Katja Thielen, creative director at Together, says, ‘The identity is a big departure from Towner’s previous incarnation as Towner Art Gallery, but captures an innovative spirit that already existed.

‘We’ve borrowed from consumer vernacular to develop a friendly look and feel that’s full of energy.’

Matthew Rowe, artistic director at Towner, says, ‘We are delighted with Together’s simple and effective solution to a challenging brief, which included appealing to Towner’s broad range of future audiences while acknowledging the important history of the Towner Art Gallery and reflecting the contemporary architecture of the new building.

‘The best design is often the most straightforward, and – in the folded “t” – Together has created an instantly recognisable logo that will enable Towner to promote the innovative and inclusive nature of its programmes.’