In Creative Review, I read recently of the announcement of Greenwich, London’s National Maritime Museum and the launch of their new visual identity. The article states, “The new identity, the launch of which coincides with the opening of a new wing at the National Maritime Museum, encompasses not just the Museum itself, but also the Royal Observatory, Peter Harrison’s Planetarium, and The Queen’s House.”
On a lark, and with a bit too much time on my hands, I thought it might be interesting to read all 63 reactions to and comments on the new identity. I thought I might learn a thing or two and have my viewpoint broadened. Hmm, well, there was a lot of commentary on the mechanics of the design (e.g. image and typeface, choice and execution), whether people liked the design or not, some conjecture on what the goals might have been for the system, and a few comments on the symbology behind the imagery including explanations from the graphic designer.
Curiously enough there were no comments on how the identity does or does not visually represent the brand strategy, how successful it is in accomplishing this, or even what the brand strategy was. Okay, to be fair, the online publication is Creative Review, not Branding Review, so why should there be any expectation to look at the design from a branding perspective?
On the other hand, at least one major graphic design firm—a brand strategy and communications design firm to be exact—uses the tagline, “Strategy Made Visible.” So, shouldn’t it be obvious to everyone what the Museum’s branding strategy is from looking at its visual identity?
I used to think so, but now I’m not so sure. A well-known graphic designer said recently to me that, “sometimes all an organization really needs is a good graphic identity to resolve its branding needs.” I’m not sure about that, but I am sure that a graphic identity that is informed by a well-conceived brand strategy stands a higher chance of communicating the right image for an organization and that the two communications tools should reinforce each other.
So, what is the Museum’s brand strategy? I still have no idea. What do you think?
UPDATE: Simon Manchipp, co-founder of the London design practice, SomeOne, and one of the authors of this rebrand, and part of the team who created the strategy behind the rebrand, responds in Comments below to, “What’s the Brand Strategy?”
9 comments
Simon Manchipp says:
Sep 10, 2011
Kristen. Good spot! Yes. A crown. A ship. A splash. Like the museums, it’s many things to many peope.
Kristen Greenaway says:
Aug 25, 2011
I may have missed some pertinent info, but is it intentional that the splash also looks like a crown?
James M. McNamara says:
Aug 25, 2011
In the comments to the Creative Review article, several people refer to The Queen’s House identity as a gold crown.
Simon Manchipp says:
Aug 4, 2011
Glad I could help. Good questions
Simon Manchipp" says:
Aug 4, 2011
Hi James — I’ll go through your questions one at a time…
James: In rounding out the Museum’s brand strategy, were there any other major communications issues that needed to be addressed through the visual identity?
Simon: The Maritime Museum was and is an incredibly popular attraction. In surveys nearly everyone said they would recommend it as “a great day out.” So there was nothing broken to fix or major issues to confront. The strategy to become even more conversational, more dynamic and more involving — to Stimulate Curiosity — simply came from a natural evolution from where they were.
James: Also, what’s the position statement and did that inform your design exploration?
Simon: The Group’s Mission Statement is: “The Museum works to illustrate for everyone the importance of the sea, ships, time and the stars and their relationship with people.”
The Museum’s Responsibilities are to safeguard and enhance the value of its pre-eminent assets:
• its collections
• its expertise
• its buildings
The Museum’s Objectives are to spread the benefits of these assets by:
• maximizing access and inspiration for all users
• satisfying stakeholders, locally, nationally and internationally
• effective organization and sound financial management
For us, this was a key driver for the briefing of the new Visual Brand Identity and how we help shape the brands over the next year.
James: Were there any image attributes for the organization that needed to be communicated via messages or visuals?
Simon: The Museums have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to imagery. The new visual brand identity is designed to work with all of their assets, from the view from One Tree Hill at the Royal Observatory to the photographs of Nelson’s uniform.
The systems we have created can carry any messaging and any information.
James: What would you say are the top 3-5 key messages that always need to be communicated about the venues?
Simon:
• Stimulate curiosity in all our users – the trigger for discovery and learning
• Provide stakeholders with a sense of ownership – “Our Museum”
• Ensure inspired stewardship of our collection, our buildings and our expertise
• Build an organization that responds to the challenges ahead and makes the most of its opportunities
James: And, finally, and only because it came up several times in the Creative Review comments, and in some LinkedIn Groups comments, what about the comment that the splash icon says “water,” not “sea?”
Simon: I think they are simply trying to find something to talk about. These kind of comments are perfectly normal and to be expected. The main thing is that the new visual identity has created a symbol of change, not just a change of symbol. We have an enormous amount of respect for the work done at the three sites. It’s a bold move in this sector and should be applauded — particularly when you see so many companies lavishing time and energy on nothing more than tweaks to logos.
You should visit the National Maritime Museum soon. Particularly the new wing. It’s been radically transformed.
James M. McNamara says:
Aug 4, 2011
Simon, thank you again for generously answering my questions. I think your responses provide a unique take on brand strategy and the underlying thoughts that went into creating the National Maritime Museum’s (and its related venues) new visual identity system.
Simon Manchipp says:
Aug 3, 2011
Hello. Good question. I think I may be able to help here.
As you rightly point out — Creative Review is a magazine that centers around the creative visual output, not the strategic thinking behind it.
But, as one of the authors of this re-brand, and one of the team of people at “SomeOne” (The Branding & Design practice) that created the strategy behind the rebrand — I can assure you there is a very strong strategy behind the creation of the new visual brand identity for the National Maritime Museum, The Queen’s House, and the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
Kevin Fewster, Royal Museums Greenwich Director says, “This is the most important year for the National Maritime Museum since it opened in 1937. The new brand identity sets out to reflect these dynamic changes — that will run across all four sites and programmes.”
The Museum itself has undergone a fundamental shift in its outlook. The new Sammy Ofer Wing sits at the heart of the Greenwich site becoming the new main entrance – positioned between the main Museum building and the world famous observatory at the top of the hill. This represents a new focus in attracting visitors to see the site as a whole, rather than to disparate elements.
The strategy behind the rebrand is multi-faceted… but as explained above — one of the key moves is to bring the three attractions together under a “single site” plan.
The three attractions are actually historically, intellectually, and physically linked. But they were behaving as three individual brands. The new branding creates a common visual “BrandWorld” that enable each site to retain and celebrate their individual offers, while working as one coherent, connected brand.
The strategy behind the rebranding also is expressed in the Group’s corporate plan — as Lord Sterling, the Chairman of the Group so eloquently puts it — the new thinking and strategy behind the Group is that of “Stimulating Curiosity” — a brilliant plan that not only underpins the way exhibitions are curated, but lies behind the thinking for new installations, commissions, and the way the Group communicates, and interacts with the the visiting public.
Claire Hyde, Head of Communications at the National Maritime Museum says, “SomeOne has produced an inspiring identity for us which reflects the huge steps we are taking to engage with our visitors in a contemporary, more conversational way.”
So — to directly answer the question posed here… the strategy is to Stimulate Curiosity in all that come into contact with these museums, galleries, buildings, and platforms.
Lord Sterling, also Chairman of the National Maritime Museum, says it well: “Our maritime story is Britain’s national story. And understanding the way the past has shaped the present has never been more important in enriching our understanding of the world and providing inspiration for the future. Our new exhibition space [and branding] will introduce to new generations of visitors the many rich narratives bound up in our maritime story.”
I hope this helps clarify things a little!
James M. McNamara says:
Aug 3, 2011
@Simon: Thanks for taking the time to further this discussion and provide some missing information. The brand architecture system you’ve used to link the venues is interesting and the theme or tagline, “Stimulating Curiosity” certainly looks like it could be the big idea that informs the areas that you list.
In rounding out the Museum’s brand strategy, were there any other major communications issues that needed to be addressed through the visual identity (e.g. misperceptions to correct, new ideas to communicate, organization issues that needed to be rectified in order for the re-brand to be effective, etc.)
Also, what’s the position statement and did that inform your design exploration?
Were there any image attributes for the organization that needed to be communicated via messages or visuals?
What would you say are the top 3-5 key messages that always need to be communicated about the venues?
And, finally, and only because it came up several times in the Creative Review comments, and in some LinkedIn Groups comments, what about the comment that the splash icon says “water,” not “sea?”
Maggi Smith-Dalton says:
Aug 2, 2011
I think it conveys the message and the mission quite well.