TATE

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Notes:
TATE:
From Tate's annual report we can see that the visitor numbers to Tate Modern were
overwhelmingly higher than St Ives, Liverpool and Tate Britain. 5.7 million visits to Tate Modern
out of 7.9million.
The website also refers to "our gallery" at one point which suggests that the Tate brand perhaps
considers its brand synonymous with Tate Modern even though there are other locations.
Perhaps the identical identities on the website exist to give the appearance that there is no
standout location for the Tate brand - although there clearly is.
This might have been intentional, as the whole branding of the Tate branches reflects the
statistics of Tate modern's young audience, most of which are under the age of 35. Tate Modern
also attracts many students of art and design, so the brand's youthful edge positions itself well
for attracting and retaining students. From briefly looking at other gallery/museum websites,
attracting students is a goal for most of them and this is a strategy that Tate and in particular
Tate modern have mastered.
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The design across each website is identical aside from certain image content, and new
pages/tabs do not open thus not redirecting the viewer. The Tate logo is small at the top of
the page, and there are large images with bold headline text (no long paragraphs). Attention
grabbing headline text with large imagery make the website easy to navigate but also ties
into the brand as a whole reflecting the Tate modern audience.
What's good:
Consistency of the whole brand, website navigation is easy and has a simple and clean
design. Simple design appeals to youthful audience.
Visual logo identity has evolved over time.
Community focus: Website has a section for artists to actually upload their work, perhaps a
tactic to retain its position of expertise in the art community and encourage young people
to get involved (once again reflecting the young attendees and website users who have
grown up with social media and tech - an integrated approach).
Bold links to social media and brightly coloured circles to become a member or book.
Because of the the Tate Modern's theme of modern art and design they could be
considered as a niche or specialist with little competition. Their theme/area of specialism is
implied through the museum name. Other museums with a broader base could take note
by branding around the most successful/permanent exhibitions or just branding around a
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centralized theme.
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What's bad:
Information on the website is very image focused, it could be argued to be lacking
information which might influence the legitimacy of their position as an educational
authority in the field of art and design.
Brand is completely focused around Tate modern, and the "umbrella" term of Tate can be
easily confused with Tate Modern itself - almost to the detriment of the other chain
locations. Even though consistency for a chain of museums is imperative, overall branding
here is too focused around one location.
Design of the website including font choice are not very creative, although fast and
convenient to read/view.

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MUSEUM OF LONDON

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MUSEUM OF LONDON:
Slightly different logo design for the London and Docklands although the text is the same style
(designed to look like London street signage). The shape is the same and represents London's
changing shape throughout history. The colours of the M of London include pink, orange, light
grey and blue, whereas the Docklands logo is comprised of only different shades of blue and the
same outer light grey.Using the location as a logo is not a unique idea, other museums have
used locations and even architecture in their logo designs such as the New Museum in New York.
The dark blue colour along the top of page might suggest a more mature or serious visual
identity.
The website emphasis on school visits aligns with the strategic plan in the latest report to
engage every school child.
Core audiences include Learning Families, Intellectual Tourists and Self Developers.
What's good:
Consistency of logo design but differentiation in colour (one being the multi-coloured logo
reflecting the metropolitan nature of London, the other blue logo symbolizing the Docks
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Consistency of web design/font/layout. Easy to navigate.

What's bad:
Considering the strategic plan is partly to appeal to students, the design of the website
could benefit by changing colours of the headers.
They have another archeology practice: The Museum of London Archeology (with a similar
orange logo) and this is not visible on the website.
It might be argued that the modern design of the logo is not consistent with the collections
held by the museums (Roman, Tudor and Stuart, Saxon and Medieval etc).
Tone of voice is neutral.
Branding that emphasizes a USP could be an advantage in order to stand out and achieve
this brand's aim of increasing visibility.

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NATIONAL MUSEUM OF
SCOTLAND

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Research is a large focus of the NMS brand, and this is clearly stated on the website.
Establishing itself as a research focused set of museums is a unique selling point, although
other museums have research opportunities, this is a source of pride for the NMS museums.
The branches offer a plethora of opportunities as well as being closely linked to Edinburgh
University and having independent research status.
Clearly listing their outreach programs, and national and international activities present a
strong overall vision. The objectives for the business being clearly set out gives a foundation
of understanding from viewers and visitors. This company is expanding rapidly with
international exhibitions being added, and part of the success could be due to the ambitious
nature of their goals but also a strong sense of their own services and offerings.
Whats good:
The company vision/values and future plans are clearly listed on the website. The aims that
are listed are very straightforward.
The website design uses blocks of colour to focus the viewers attention: the menu at the
top is colour coded for each of the Museums. The National Museum of Scotland section is
blue, The National Museum of Flight is navy, the National Museum of Rural Life is green,
and the National War Museum is bright green. Visually this is easy to navigate and not
distracting.
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The values listed (creative, generous, forward thinking) could be considered to be

THE MET

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the largest museum in the Western Hemisphere, and the
worlds most encyclopedic art museum under one roof. Founded in 1870, its permanent
collections, housed in 17 curatorial departments.
The Tate had previously commissioned Wolff Olins to unite several disparate collections and
buildings into one branded institution. The branding was created to apply to The Mets three
locations.
The use of red as the logo colour is eye catching and has strong connections to the contents
of the museum, such as red figure Greek pottery and Chinese scroll paintings.
The distinct logo style was inspired by the idea of making connections, although it might be
said that this 70s style typography is not very unique and other museums have used a similar
connected style (for example the V&A Museum). The logo for The Met is also used in other
colours for other pages on the site, and for various marketing collateral.
The website is very clearly set out with a red stripe menu at the top pointing potential visitors
to find out more information about The Mets vast art collections, or the myriad of libraries
and research centers to choose from. The information is presented in large text in the dropdown menus.
This website also operates an online store for jewellery and other items. This is becoming
more
popular
for museums online.
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Whats good:
The easy to use web design, the logo design, information about activities/research/events
and more are very easy to find. Due to the nature of the museums, there are many choices
available to choose from.
Red fits well with the brand identity.
Items listed in the collections have a respectable amount of information listed, cementing
The Met as not only a host for the objects but an authority on them. Detailed information
about each piece is listed, and additionally some items have information about the
markings on items. For those studying art and design, or perhaps even just studying for
leisure or looking to attend a workshop or event at The Met, the website is encouraging. The
website also features a section for Met publications further establishing their connections
with distinguished scholars and curators.
Creating a publication is a good marketing strategy to establish expertise in any field, and
this is fairly unique other common strategies used by museums include seminars, tours,
events, school visits and open days for schools.
International exhibitions help to draw in large audiences (a costume institute about China
attracted more than 350000 visitors.)
The Met runs a seven days a week operating schedule.
Whats bad:

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It could
be argued

that THE could be removed from the logo, but this is debatable.

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THE BRITISH MUSEUM

The British Museum website has a clear list of languages listen on its homepage
appealing directly to international visitors.
The logo font has a classic style, and does not appear to try and associate with a
specific target audience or age group. The is smaller and to the left in the logo. The
web layout uses a theme similar to a blog, and is simple to navigate. The home page
is black and the other pages are white a minor inconsistency.
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Whats good:
The classic logo design is functional and recognizable, and may also suggest an
established and reliable institution (central in their category).
Language choices are listed very clearly.

Whats bad:
The menu along to top of the website is comparatively small regarding other museum
brands.
The market may not have a consistent impression of the company, even though the
impression is generally positive.
Web design for this brand could be improved, current is easy to navigate but looks
slightly like a blog.
Publications and libraries come under the research tab.
There could be a clearer message about what the brand is known for to have a
stronger impact on viewers. If customers were asked to make associations to the brand,
it might be unclear.
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SMITHSONIAN

The Smithsonian is 19 museums and a zooplus 9 research

centers
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The Smithsonian website uses a blog/online magazine style template that might be
considered outdated.
The website has information about all of the museums, zoo and research centres. The
website is comprehensive in its information, but a modern web design could make it a
more visually appealing viewing experience.
The Smithsonian remains well known among adults but it has struggled to establish itself
as recognizable to young people.
The logo:
The sun logo is used across the whole site but does not appear on every external link. If
you navigate from Museums and Zoo and look at the links below, each museum has a
very distinctive design and viewing experience. Considering the many different museum
themes, individual personalities for the brands is justified. Even though the designs seem
disparate , the central sun logo used by the Smithsonian Institution is placed at the top
or the bottom of the external museum pages in an effort to remain consistent. However
where this information is placed differs between sites.
Immediate thoughts about the logo:
Flame symbols around the sun may be representative of the off-shoots/various subbrands.
Other
general
symbolism: life, vitality, heaven, warmth, heat, illumination, seeing things
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clearly/understanding,
the light of knowledge, unity, one sun over a world (of the brands

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The Smithsonians most visited place in 2016 up to May was the National Museum of
Natural History with 2.9 million visitors. A report done in 2013 states that the average
age of visitors here is 36 and 52 percent female.
The Freer Gallery of Art had the least number of visitors standing at 10000 during the
same period.
The locations are both within Washington DC, but the Freer is closing for renovation
until 2017.
Over the years is seems that The Smithsonian has found it difficult to make its brand
consistent and appeal to younger visitors. Continuous brand innovations is lacking.

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Whats good:
A logo that has evolved over time (used to be a torch symbol).
Strong institute logo identity although this could be improved.
Museums all have a good reputation online reinforcing the visitor satisfaction rate.
Through rating sites they are getting good reviews from customers to other customers.
Whats bad:
The external links to other museums under the Smithsonian brand appear to lack
consistency regarding where the Smithsonian institution logo and links are added.
Some add the sun logo at the top right next to the logo for the individual museum,
some add it at the bottom.
Another magazine/blog style layout, perfectly readable and easy to use but could be
modernized.
Logo could also be modernized.
The teams behind the branding seem unsure of how to make things consistent and
tackle the problem of raising the brands profile among young people.
The colourful advertising displayed by the Smithsonian (print advertising and other
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LE LOUVRE

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The Louvre has been attracting high numbers of visitors in recent years, about 8.8
million visits in 2015 the most visited attraction in Paris. Almost two-thirds of those
going to the museum came from outside France, and according to figures, with more
Brazilians visiting the museum than Italians, Australians, Spaniards or Russians. The
number of visitors from China also climbed significantly.
The increase in visitors reflects a general rise in tourism to France's museums.
The branding of the Louvre online is done very well, and has clear language links
tapping into its growing international popularity among overseas tourists.
The logo:
The logo design is very distinctive in comparison to other museums, and has a bold
black and white asymmetrical cloud like background with an all-caps serifed font. The
lettering is modern but also serious, and the whole logo gives a cinematic film noir
feel. The background page of the website also shows a black and white photograph of
architecture.
Despite the artistic logo, the website is very easy to navigate and has pops of colour
in each drop down menu holding the viewers attention. The menu along the top with
a smaller menu along the side allows more links to be placed without crowding the
page.
The vibrant colours do not detract from the museums overall style, and the site
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manages
to combine the right amount of modern design to hold viewers attention
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The logo is distinctive but yet also recognizable in the field. It fits well with the styles
of art offered by the museum such as 18th century paintings. The background of the
logo could be compared to an exaggerated and darker version of something similar
on display at the museum. Perhaps the European feel of the design of this brand is a
USP regarding foreign tourists.
Whats good:
The combination of styles used on the website neither trying too hard to appeal
to young people or too outdated.
Foreign translations right at the top, appealing to their growing audience.
The logo is still recognizable when added other items even without the black
image in the background.
Whats bad:
There is another museum in Abu Dhabi, however the link at the bottom of the
page is small. The other museum website is vastly different to the French
museums, and it is hard to tell if these are even part of the same brand even
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considering
the name Louvre.
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information about the items on display could be added to present a

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GUGGENHEIM

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The Guggenheim is one of the most popular museums for modern art in New York.
From viewing the brand website and other location links, the logo is always kept
consistent. Although the other websites have different layouts, the logo and style of
font are always kept the same. The locations of the logo on the page changes
depending on the site.
The white background and clean design of the sites reflects the nature of the museums
and its commitment to modern art.
Whats good:
Clear links to languages and also clearly displayed information about staff including
curators, conservators, and educators.
Simple white layout.
Logo is always kept consistent across all sites, but not in terms of positioning.
Whats bad:
The logo is sometime horizontal and sometimes vertical.
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overall branding and design is not very distinctive, even though it is easy to
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UCL Museums

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The collection of small museums offered by UCL are part of the UCL website. The web
design is easy to use, bold and bright. The bold lettering of UCL is globally recognizable.
The collections on display have links to the universitys previous professors, and some
were their collections.
Whats good:
The UCL logo associated with the university is kept exactly the same - except for the
colour. The logo is so clearly associated with the university that it is recognizable. The
consistency here is well executed.
Having a university that also runs numerous museums shows their commitment to
knowledge as an educational institution.They offer Biological sciences studies
alongside the only Zoology museum in the England.
If their aim is to secure more students or people booking short courses then the
museums are aligned with their goal.
Whats bad:
Some might say that the museums and collections are not independent enough. They
are part of the UCL website and under the same name, and also have exactly the
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design and fonts used as the university website. They may not be accepted as
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being truly autonomous.

WHALING
MUSEUM

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This Whaling Museum in New Bradford, USA, has an appropriate ship logo used across its
website.The logo uses the shape of a sail - minimalist but effective without the ship. The
design uses a consistent theme of blue and white, traditionally colours associated with
whales, the sea, and nautical items.
The design fits well with the theme of the museum and their specific subject.
Whats good:
Appropriate branding design and logo
Website and museum activities are kept simple
The museum website proudly boasts a link right to TripAdvisor diminishing visitors
potential concerns
Whats bad:
More languages could be added and moved to the top of the page instead of the
bottom
Menu at the top of the page could benefit from a larger font
Museum initiatives could be listed prominently
Although the design is good and clear, the information listed does not present the
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an authority on the subject of whaling even though they probably
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are.Clearly laying out the museum goals and values with corresponding comprehensive
information about how they are meeting these goals would present a more solid brand 29

THE MATTRESS FACTORY

The Mattress Factory was founded in 1977, by artists, to support artists working in residence
to create site-specific installations.

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This museum of contemporary art in Pittsburgh has 17 permanent installations on

continuous display, including important works by James Turrell, Yayoi Kusama, Greer
Lankton, Bill Woodrow and William Anastasi. The place is named after and housed in the
former Stearns & Foster mattress factory and warehouse.The room sized site specific
installation art pieces make this museum unconventional.
The logo:
The logo for this museum is certainly eye catching. The bold red M next to the white F
draw attention, but whats more interesting is the fact that there appears to be two Fs.
This logo could be debated as some people might think the two Fs are irrelevant. But
regardless of the controversial double F, the logo makes people look twice and appears
more distinctive than a simple set of bold initials.
The website layout appears much like a magazine/blog layout, but thanks to the colour
scheme of black white and red stylistically isnt too outdated.

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Whats good:
The museum is a leader in alternative art forms, and has gained media recognition
for the unusual installations, video and performance art.
The logo is interesting - although can be debated about its effectiveness because of
the extra F.
The website is simple and easy to use, however could be improved with a layout
design that is less like a blog layout and more like the creative space that it is.
Whats bad:
Unclear brand vision and goals, for example The Mattress Factory clearly has regular
involvement within the community and within education, but has appears to have no
further plans to rehabilitate abandoned buildings (they have already rehabilitated
nine buildings, but listings to revitalize the community further in this sense is
lacking.)
Lacks direction in terms of contributing to innovation in the field of alternative art.
The education department and offerings educationally seem to be largely
experimental and explorative, which in a way is good, but also can appear lacking
legitimacy. The teacher workshops seem more organized in terms of content.
An image focused brand would definitely be more effective larger photos on the
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website,
marketing materials that utilize the imagery from some of the most
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interesting
displays.The museum is inherently trying to appeal to a younger

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THE WALTERS ART

MUSEUM

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The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has a variety of works on display. The website is well
arranged with sans serif easy to read fonts, a white background and a consistent colour
scheme of pink, orange and light grey.
The logo:
The logo comprises of orange and pink bold all caps lettering with some words horizontal and
some vertical. The word placement in this manner gives a more interesting impression rather
than a standard logo. The colours or orange and pink are not vibrant, but enough to give a
contrast between which words should be read together. The slogan What Will You Discover
is orange and the same colour as the name of the museum in the logo.
Whats good:
The online collections gallery contains sufficient information about each art piece.
Visually, the brand has a simple and consistent style.
Information is presented well on the website under clear categories.
Its vast collections are communicated in a positive way instead of being presented in a
way that could be viewed as disparate.
Whats bad:
The mission statement of the museum is generic, and doesnt link any of their activities
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An intended audience is hard to distinguish, as is the focus of the museum.

Amongst different Museum brands:

Similarities:
Neutral tone of voice, lacking sentiment.
Consistent logo and font throughout website, most websites clearly show that the museum
is part of a cohesive group of brands. Standalone brands still have a universal design
concept logo.
Clearly laid out websites with links to the other galleries/museums on the same page.
Brand names usually tend to be monolithic all come under the same name.
Many museum companies have a lot of events/learning/research and more, but they do
not communicate these clearly and so fall victim to an identity crisis wherein they seem as
if they do not have a clear strategic vision.
Differences:
Logos vary from company to company, with some opting for the exact design and colour
scheme across all of their brands, or slight differences for sub-brands.
Some museum brands seem to lack a vision and focus, whereas others list their goals for
potential visitors to see. Some museum brands also do not take full advantage of their
potential unique selling points, thus not fully differentiating themselves from their
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Some museums and galleries are using online stores to boost profits.

Considerations:
Many museums do not seem to know what they stand for/what their values are, and this
affects their branding strategy.
Strategic points to consider:
Who the visitors are
Who the intended visitors are (target audience -Information about visitors can be accessed
through contacting each museum)
The museums global standing regarding tourism (this will affect the overall
communications strategy)
What the museum has to offer style of art and design collections
What are the main museum values?
What are the goals for the museum over the coming years?
Unique selling points/differentiation or areas of specialization (for example, does this
museum have a particularly strong emphasis on research/links to universities? Does it have
a strong staff development program? Is this institution doing global work for a specific
cause relating to their vision? They probably have vast amounts of schools and
universities/colleges visiting them, but does the museum have a strong educational
emphasis? Is the museum innovative in any way?) More of these will probably apply but
making the most important ones clear usually makes for more effective branding.
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How potential designs/logos apply to this research.

For institutions with a number of museums, it might be worth considering keeping the
name or the logo consistent.
If the logo and name is different from the overarching institution, then the logo used for
the institution should be used in exactly the same way across platforms.
Even if the sub-brands are distinctive in style the umbrella company covering them
remains clearly identifiable, and the sub-brands are identifiable as being part of a group.
Font should be consistent across all relevant material.
Museums that lack vision/purpose/goals do not have a strong overall brand.

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