Our Museum

Winner - Live brief with Poole Museum

Focus: Brand Identity, Positioning, Tone of Voice

Team: Project completed with Rosie Dadswell, Abbie Coughlin & Kiran Kerai

My Role: Team lead. Concept, logo, colour and identity, copywriting, signage, poster design, Facebook header

How can you remould a museum to captivate younger, more diverse audiences?

A vibrant, memorable and conceptual identity to inspire more diverse audiences to dive in to Poole Museum's Our Museum project.

The Rollout

The identity has been fully adopted by the Our Museum project, and was chosen from 20 other proposals for its "strong aesthetic and conceptual basis".

our museum colour palette and maritime flags — Our Museum's colour palette is inspired by maritime signal flags, a nod to Poole's harbour and nautical links

three banner designs — Banner designs give an insight into the museum's vibrant and creative community

The Challenge:

Poole Museum’s audience has doubled since 2007, but less than 7% of visitors are under 30. Our Museum aims to be a dynamic community hub to inspire and welcome the fresh perspectives of families, young people and creatives.

red tote bag with slogan — Clever slogans reference the museum's philosophy of 'living history'

patterned face mask — Patterned merchandise visuals: Rosie Dadswell

We summarised Our Museum's mission into a succinct brand proposition.

The Concept

After delving into the museum’s archives, we uncovered Poole’s historical role in the global clay industry.

Clay is a powerful metaphor for Our Museum; it’s tangible, adaptable, with endless potential and uses to many kinds of people. It reminds us that history isn’t static or rigid, but something ever-changing.

I sketched moulded, flexible shape logos informed by the museum's values; dynamism, collaboration and community

The form's resemblance to a dynamic human figure resonated with Poole Museum’s belief that “people make history”

Remoulding an identity

The final mark evokes the energy of the Our Museum project. It is abstract and open to individual interpretation, reflecting the multitude of different perspectives around history.

We created Our Museum's bold pattern by deconstructing the logo

Merchandise and pattern visuals: Rosie Dadswell

The Solution

We crafted a bold, contemporary identity and energised the tone of voice to capture the attention of younger audiences.

“This has helped us refine our own understanding of the project, and see what resonates with young creatives”

- Alex Reynolds, Collections & Engagement Officer, Poole Museum

facebook page — Website: Abbie Coughlin, Facebook identity designed in collaboration

“The logo works really well with Poole Museum's current branding while feeling welcoming and inclusive. The team really managed to understand the brief and get under the skin of the Our Museum project”.

- Michael Spender, Arts Director, Poole Museum