Design set for Royal contracts

Design consultancies are set to benefit from a raft of branding and identity initiatives courtesy of the Monarchy.

The Queen’s Golden Jubilee, starting in 2002, will require a brand identity for itself. It will also prompt an image overhaul for the Royal Palaces, aimed at boosting visitor numbers, and specific identity jobs for two galleries.

Frances Dunkels, director of marketing and PR at Royal Collection Enterprise, which is responsible for marketing royal residences, says the reopening of The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace and the new The Queen’s Gallery in Holyrood House in Edinburgh, opening in spring, will each require identities.

Dunkels says that RCE is looking to appoint consultancies within the next two months and will be orchestrating a pitch. But she says it has not decided which consultancies to approach. RCE is “keeping an open mind” about whether to use a London or provincial firm, Dunkels adds.

The identity work will form the base of a general marketing thrust.

“Each palace is a brand in its own right, with identities already in place. But we will look at signage, information and websites. There should be a uniformity of approach,” Dunkels says.

“The main thing for us is to push on the summer opening of Buckingham Palace. The build-up to the opening of the galleries will provide the springboard for a large number of other related activities during the Jubilee year.”