1st December 2008
Jim Richardson, a Director of the branding consultancy Sumo, who have created the new visual identities for Brighton & Hove Museums and Shetland Museum & Archives, agrees: “While it is easy to be seduced by pretty pictures, it is important to communicate to the designers where your organisation is and where it is heading. This is normally done in a written brief and through discussions with the designers. Having a well thought out brief will save you time and money”.
In the same way that a brand is not just a logo, a branding process is not just graphic design. It is about staff – from the Director and Trustees to the front of house – talking about what the museum means to them, what its collections hold and represent, what visitors say, what it stands for and how it might be improved. Involving people in this way should also help reduce any scepticism about the branding process itself.
Carrying out some basic market research yourself first may be sensible. “The first step is to research the perception of your organisation,” says Jim Richardson. “This doesn’t need to cost a lot of money – you can do it yourself by speaking to visitors about why they are visiting, whether they would recommend a visit to friends and family, and how they would describe the museum to other people. Also, involve people from across your organisation so they can see the benefits of the process first hand.”
If you have in-house designers or work regularly with a freelance, it is vital that they are involved from the beginning too, as they will be the people handling the design guidelines once the design process is finished.
“The next step is to compare this perception with how you would like to be seen,” says Richardson. “In order to change the perception of your museum, you may need to change exhibition displays, outreach programmes, advertising messages, price of entry, and many other things.”
The full article can be found in Museum Practice Magazine, Winter 2008