Whitechapel Art Gallery takes on brand new Spin

Spin is to embark on an identity brief for London’s Whitechapel Art Gallery, having created a raft of print work for the organisation over the past six months.

A poster for the forthcoming Ludwig Mies van der Rohe exhibition, which opens on 10 December, is the latest example of the group’s work in bringing a consistent visual style to the gallery’s graphics, says Spin creative director Warren Beeby. The consultancy is now on the verge of applying these principles to a corporate identity, as the Whitechapel seeks to consolidate its brand image.

‘The identity project has taken a long time to come to fruition,’ says Beeby. ‘The interim stage has been about consolidating the communications materials and giving them a coherent feel – previously they were scattered to the four winds.’

A gallery spokeswoman says, ‘The Whitechapel’s long been known for its beautiful design and we’d like to bring that to the fore again.’ She adds that its aim is to evolve into a brand – like that of the Tate Gallery.

Spin has instigated a 32-page, A5 magazine that acts as the main marketing device, published to coincide with the opening of each new show. It has also rationalised the typefaces and colours the gallery uses, integrating its printed style with the exhibition graphics.

Beeby, who is working on the project with Spin’s other creative director Tony Brook, says the aim is to underline the Whitechapel’s ‘accessible and user-friendly’ image as a must-see ‘destination’.

Spin won a four-way pitch in December 2001 against August, Frost Design and Smith.

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