CPB Museum of London

Coley Porter Bell has overhauled the brand identity of the Museum of London, creating the venue’s first rebranding for around ten years.

The new system is a radical departure from the existing ‘red box’ identity, created by Pentagram.

The branding will integrate MoL’s three venues – the Museum of London, Museum of London Docklands and Museum of London Archaeology – under a more coherent system while injecting a touch of glamour, says MoL head of marketing Jo Fells.

CPB, which was appointed in March 2007, has worked on the project with an in-house team, from initial research with staff and stakeholders to creating a visual planning system to help formulate brand architecture and inform creative work.

‘Having so many separate visitor-facing operations, people weren’t seeing the museum as a whole, or the range of offers,’ says Fells. The roll-out paves the way for the opening of the £20.5m redevelopment programme of the MoL’s three lower galleries, led by architect Wilkinson Eyre and scheduled to open in 2010.

The rebrand is informed by the museum’s presentation of vibrant, rich, culturally diverse histories and the ever-changing city, according to CPB creative director Stephen Bell.

As well as suggesting a thumbprint, reflecting the ‘mark’ Londoners have made on their city, the dynamic ‘layering’ is intended to reflect an ever-changing city, with the coloured layers mapping out the shape of London’s past, present and future. The logotype draws influences from the city’s typographic heritage, echoing iconic street signage.