Hat Trick sketches new museum logo

London’s House of Illustration has a new identity, created by Hat Trick Design, ahead of its opening in 2011.

The new centre, formerly known as the Museum of Illustration, will be located in an area of London’s King’s Cross that is undergoing regeneration. It is the brainchild of iconic British illustrator Quentin Blake, who has donated his life’s work to the organisation’s archives.

Hat Trick, which clinched the project following a four-way credentials pitch, was given just weeks to rework the logo and brand identity. The visuals, based on a ‘sketchpad’ concept, will be rolled out across website, stationery, signage, banners and hoardings.

‘Most illustration work starts with a drawing, so the sketchpad idea worked really well. It is like a blank canvas,’ explains Hat Trick creative director Jim Sutherland. ‘Whatever the illustration style – from historical to modern digital – the sketchpad is flexible enough to accommodate anything.’

Differentiating the House of Illustration from traditional art galleries and museums was central to the brief, says project director Flora Craig.

‘We are a new organisation and we felt that the new name and branding should accurately reflect the role illustration plays in people’s lives, as a domestic art form,’ she explains. ‘Hat Trick has provided us with the gravitas required to establish a new brand, but with a sense of humour attached.’

The identity will be unveiled this week at the House of Illustration’s first touring exhibition, What Are You Like?, which runs from 9 September at the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London SE21.