Museum branding

MUSEUM BRANDING 101

INTRODUCTION SUMO is a UK branding agency which works with brands that need to be experienced. Cultural icons, dynamic destinations and sporting spectacles, brands that reach out and demand participation. The agency has a wealth of experience developing brands for museums and galleries.

www.sumodesign.co.uk

WHAT IS A BRAND?

WHAT IS A BRAND? Your brand is not your logo.

Your brand is the perception that people have of your organisation. It is formed through everything you do, from how you present your collection through to how easy to use your website is. We call these points of contact, touchpoints.


WHAT IS A BRAND? All of these points of contact create a gut feeling people have when they think of your organisation. Even those who haven’t walked through your doors think they know what they can expect because of a story a friend told them or an advert they saw in the paper. And because your brand is the perception that other people have of you, then some people are bound to have the wrong idea.


WHAT IS A BRAND? Touchpoints are every way in which people come in to contact with your organisation.

If you don’t effectively communicate your brand, the external world will do it for you — probably inaccurately.

This will impede your ability to build or sustain audiences, & will subsequently garner financial support from public & private sources.


WHAT SHOULD OUR BRAND SAY? At Sumo we use a number of tools to answer this question. The most important of these are workshops that bring together people from across the organisation to discuss the museum brand.


WHAT SHOULD OUR BRAND SAY? As well as workshops we would also recommend the following steps when developing a brand: - Communications audit - Competitor audit - Site visits


- Talk to stakeholders - Talk to visitors - Talk to non-visitors

WHAT SHOULD OUR BRAND SAY? At Sumo we condense all this knowledge into what we call brand pillars. These brand pillars state what the museum stands for and what makes it different from other cultural venues. This forms the brief for the designers.

Working TogetherPart of the communities around us,

we actively involve people in everything

we do, encouraging visitors, volunteers

and local people to take part, share

ideas and get involved.

Courage We think big. Our enterprising, bold and

far-sighted ideas influence and enrich

people’s lives within and beyond the

community. Through our ambition, we

help people to achieve theirs.

BelongingWe share our knowledge of

East Anglian heritage, telling the

stories of our ancestors through

our unique landscape & treasured

collections, inspiring a greater sense

of place.

DiscoveryWe provoke people to think about

the world differently, encouraging

enjoyment through an immersive,

moving and fun experience.

People grow with

us through history


WHAT IS A BRAND IDENTITY?

WHAT IS A BRAND IDENTITY? Brand identity is your visual image, created to project your brand the way you want it to be seen to the world. This is also called your brand style, visual identity or corporate identity.


WHAT IS A BRAND IDENTITY? Brand identity normally starts with a logo, but it is also a style that is used in everything you produce from leaflets to signage. A good brand identity will project a positive image of your venue, but a poor brand identity can seriously damage your reputation.


WHAT MAKES A STRONG BRAND? All the elements of your brand identity from the logo through to the style of your photography should truly reflect the personality of your brand, and appeal to you target audience. It is often best to keep your logo simple and let the elements around it explain what your Museum is all about.


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Design by Sumo

IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN EXPERT OPINION ON YOUR MUSEUM BRANDING PROJECT CONTACT SUMO ON 0191 261 9894 OR VISIT WWW.SUMODESIGN.CO.UK

Museum branding

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