{"id":14048,"date":"2025-09-03T15:29:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/uncommon-creative-studios-pigeon-based-identity-for-london-museum\/"},"modified":"2025-09-03T15:29:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T08:29:33","slug":"uncommon-creative-studios-pigeon-based-identity-for-london-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cstc.vn\/blogtsk\/uncommon-creative-studios-pigeon-based-identity-for-london-museum\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s pigeon-based identity for London Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

Uncommon Creative Studio<\/a> has unveiled the new design system for London Museum, as it prepares to open its new home next year.<\/p>\n

The museum, first opened in 1976, is relocating to Smithfield Market as part of a \u00a3437 million project.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge undertaking, one of Europe\u2019s most significant cultural projects, and we needed a brand that matched the scale and ambition of the museum\u2019s future,\u201d says Josh Green, London Museum\u2019s head of design.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe museum\u2019s old identity was dated and limited our potential to engage new visitors,\u201d he explains. \u201cThis new brand signals a major transformation, and has been developed to communicate the museum\u2019s core purpose \u2013 to be a place where all London\u2019s stories collide.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Last summer, the museum\u2019s new icon \u2013 a clay pigeon with a sparkly gold poo splat \u2013 was unveiled to a mixed reaction<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But for Uncommon founder Nils Leonard, the best design projects should divide opinion.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to work on the most important and influential briefs, and there are two ways to approach those,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne is, don\u2019t fuck it up, glide through, try not to be noticed. The other is take it head-on, don\u2019t worry about being divisive. And when the museum came to us, we released this was a chance to make an icon for London.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really correct for the city. So whether people love it or hate it, I think anybody who really knows London will look at this and think, \u2018Yeah, that\u2019s about right\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum<\/p>\n

Uncommon worked with brand consultancy firm Something More<\/a> to host more than 100 hours of conversations with 500 Londoners. That was part of a wider effort to involve local people in the museum\u2019s new chapter, with more than 100,000 feeding into the plans.<\/p>\n

The brand idea that emerged from these discussions was \u201cthe grit and the glitter\u201d, the cheek-by-jowl presence of London\u2019s different personalities, offerings, and cultural currents. This felt like a good fit for the museum, whose collection ranges from the city\u2019s storied history, to the fatbergs found in its sewers.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t divorce the two,\u201d Leonard says. \u201cYou\u2019re always 10 minutes from a shithole, or you\u2019re 10 minutes from somewhere amazing. You\u2019re always at risk, but also really well catered for.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the proximity of both those states that is the magic sauce under London.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum<\/p>\n

The pigeon emerged as the perfect icon around which to build the new identity. Not only did it encapsulate the grit and the glitter idea, it also reflected London Museum\u2019s collection, and its mission.<\/p>\n

There are an estimated three million pigeons in London \u2013 one for every three people \u2013 and the birds can be found on various artefacts, from Roman figurines to Victorian Valentine\u2019s cards.<\/p>\n

The symbol worked on a metaphorical level too. \u201cThe pigeon mirrors how we see the museum\u2019s role as a chronicler of London\u2019s stories, both big and small,\u201d Green explains. \u201cIt\u2019s the perfect icon for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team sculpted the pigeon out of clay taken from the Thames \u2013 \u201cIt sounds romantic, but it was actually disgusting,\u201d Leonard laughs.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s used as a blank canvas, which can be tailored to different shows, moments or creative projects. Since it launched, there have been special Diwali, Easter and London Marathon pigeons. And the hoardings of the museum\u2019s new site has just been wrapped in an artwork featuring 33 pigeons, designed by 33 different artists, to represent the city\u2019s 32 boroughs and the City of London.<\/p>\n

The Book of Boroughs pigeons, part of Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum<\/p>\n

\u201cThe flexibility of the pigeon is invaluable to us,\u201d Green says.<\/p>\n

\u201cFundamentally, the pigeon allows us to express core elements of our communications with surface and texture, humour and playfulness, rather than pure photography or imagery. It\u2019s a story-telling tool with limitless potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pigeon is paired with \u201cthe splat\u201d \u2013 seven different variations inspired by real pigeon poo the team photographed around London. \u201cThe process is half the project,\u201d Leonard says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took endless photos of shit. But what you invest in the making \u2013 the level of depth, and craft and care \u2013 we believe comes through in the output.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collisions of the city\u2019s different sides shapes the whole design system, what Leonard calls \u201can incredibly clean, considered aesthetic, with this sense of order and scratch.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is most noticeable in the typefaces. Museum Sans<\/em> is an updated version of a 19th Century William Caslon font, while London Hand<\/em> is a hand-drawn typeface designed to capture \u201cthe voice and signature of a Londoner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s London Hand type for London Museum<\/p>\n

There is also a set of \u201cgraphic flourishes\u201d \u2013 including doodles and squiggles \u2013 which will be used in the museum\u2019s comms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe really loved the sans because it\u2019s clean and bold and can do the functional work,\u201d Leonard says. \u201cBut it felt too austere on its own, so we wanted something lighter, that could dance across the work.\u201d<\/p>\n

An attempt to create the new typeface by melding the real handwriting of thousands of Londoners was abandoned, because the results were too chaotic.<\/p>\n

The secondary colour palette includes purple and green, as a further nod to pigeons and the colour of their feathers. But the main palette is black and white, although Leonard says the use of off-white is significant.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted something that was secretly premium,\u201d he says. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want that ridiculous Apple level of white \u2013 we wanted something that has that age and depth which London has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new colour palette for London Museum<\/p>\n

The new London Museum, designed by Stanton Williams<\/a>, Asif Khan<\/a> and Julian Harrap Architects<\/a> will open in 2026. A further site, The Poultry Market, housing\u00a0 a learning centre and the collection stores, will open in 2028.<\/p>\n

And everyone involved is comfortable if the new identity continues to attract strong opinions \u2013 especially because success will, in part, be measured by the work\u2019s ability to attract new people through the museum\u2019s doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to spark conversation, so if people are talking about London Museum, then that in itself is a success,\u201d Green says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis identity reflects a museum with broad appeal and unexpected energy, signalling that we are doing things differently and expanding our reach to become the world\u2019s leading city museum.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Leonard, that\u2019s why he thinks clients come to Uncommon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe people who want to work with us are those who think there is a chance to do something special, something long-lasting,\u201d he says. \u201cThey don\u2019t tend to come to us if they just want a different shade of blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum
\nThe different pigeon poo splats in Uncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum
\nUncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum
\nUncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum
\nUncommon Creative Studio\u2019s new identity for London Museum<\/p>\n

\nWhat to read next: <\/strong>Craig Ward\u2019s moodboard tool aims to recreate old-school serendipity<\/a> | The big design winners at this year\u2019s D&AD awards<\/a> | SomeOne creates Peckish brand for Co-op\u2019s new local delivery app<\/a> | Dusted\u2019s billion-dollar brand for Mahindra\u2019s new electric cars<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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