Museum of London Appoints Something More Near and Uncommon to Develop New Visual Identity

The Museum of London is pleased to announce that following a nine-month open procurement process it has appointed a partnership between creative agency Something More Near and creative design studio Uncommon to develop a new visual identity ahead of its move to West Smithfield in 2024.

These London based studios, in partnership with the museum and Londoners themselves, will develop a new all-encompassing visual identity that goes beyond being a logo and breaks the mould of existing museum brands to reflect the museum’s ambition to be a shared place in the middle of it all and its mission to enrich the understanding and appreciation of London and Londoners – past, present and future.

This new visual identity will be the cornerstone of a new overarching brand launching in the coming years. It will reflect the ambitions of the new site at West Smithfield, the wider transformative ambitions for the Museum of London Docklands, which will remain at its current location in West India Quay, and the organisation’s position as London’s shared place in the middle of it all – where all the city’s stories cross and collide. At its heart will sit the London Collection, the museum’s collection of over seven million objects representing more than 10,000 years of history.  

Andrew Marcus, head of communications at the Museum of London said: “Our transformative ambition at the Museum of London is massive. For far too long we’ve lived with a challenging logo that doesn’t reflect the museum we are today, let alone the museum we aspire to be. Throughout our search to find partners to work with us, and with Londoners, to reimagine our visual identity we were truly blown away by the talented teams we met on the journey. Each of these being the best of London’s creativity in their own way. The quality of Something More Near and Uncommon’s collective thinking about co-creation and branding ultimately stood out as the right team to meaningfully engage Londoners in the development of a brand fitting of the shared place in the middle of it all that the Museum of London aspires to become. Together we cannot wait to begin a dialogue with Londoners and in doing so redefine how museums visually present themselves in the twenty first century.”

Lucy Jameson, founder of Uncommon, said: “We’re thrilled to be able to announce our partnership with the Museum of London. Just like London, the museum is evolving, with new sites, new behaviours and new energy. This is more than a visual identity project, it’s about forging a new icon for London, hand in hand with the people of the city. We’re looking forward to playing our part in shaping the story of the greatest city in the world – helping drive fame and social impact into every part of the process along the way.”

David Gunn, director of Something More Near, said: “Great projects are about great partnerships. We’re excited to enter the next chapter of our collaboration with Museum of London, and continue to rethink how modern museums can relate to the world around them. This time, we’re putting radical collaboration at the heart of the creative brand process - opening up our doors and creating work in a shared space where everyone can get involved. It's not just about creating a brand that reflects London but one that contains its heartbeat, built with the communities of the city we’re proud to call home.”

To find out more about the vision and plans for the new museum of London project visit here.