The Design Museum Appoints Leo Burnett London as Design Partner

The Design Museum has appointed Leo Burnett to develop communications across a range of channels for the museum’s final year in Shad Thames. Leo Burnett is working closely with the museum to bring to life their chosen theme of ‘Optimism’ across multiple channels and touch points.  

The Design Museum has always been about looking ahead. Designers are constantly exploring new territory hoping to deliver change. From 2016 the Design Museum will move to the former Commonwealth Institute on Kensington High Street, giving it three times more space, much improved learning facilities and free access to its permanent collection. Throughout its final year in Shad Thames, the museum, with the help of Leo Burnett, will invite its supporters to share their aspirations for the museum and the future.

Leo Burnett’s designs bring Optimism to the museum’s full suite of 2015 communications, including all exhibition posters, postcards, print ads and London Underground ads. The new design will also become an integral part of the museum’s retail offering.

Marc Donaldson, head of design at Leo Burnett said, “Optimism within the art and design world is an important frame of mind and assists us through the sometimes long journey from concept to finished work. It’s this journey which is fascinating.”

The work takes its inspiration from the half full/half empty point of view in a very literal sense. Each execution is split 50/50 and references the design process, highlighting a conceptual sketch in one half to the finished product/design in the other. A logo informed by this idea was created and is used across all platforms. In its simplest form, the design is just 2 blocks of colour. This has been applied predominantly across the retail channels.

The launch of the Design Museum’s Designs of the Year 2015 features the new design, as does the communications for the ‘Life on Foot – Camper at the Design Museum’ exhibition arriving in May 2015.

Josephine Chanter, Design Museum Head of Communications and External Affairs, said:  “The museum’s 2015 exhibition programme includes Designs of the Year, Life on Foot with Camper and Bicycles, all of which express a spirit of optimism that we wanted to capture and explore across the museum. As soon as Leo Burnett presented the half full/half empty concept and its playful applications we realised it would be a charming and forward looking way to develop the brand, coherently communicate the museum offer and reflect on our remaining time at Shad Thames.”

Marc Donaldson, head of design at Leo Burnett said: “The design process is such an important aspect in creating work. We take for granted every day design around us, everything from a toothpick to a jumbo jet has been meticulously designed, and all started with a sketch.  The majority of the time we are solving problems. It’s this process which helps us discover and define this problem, ultimately helping us to solve it and arrive at a solution. Our work is highlighting where a famous design started. For me, seeing the first sketch of a famous or successful design/product is very. Knowing that someone like Dieter Rams had to go through the same process as us is very comforting. In terms of the work we did for the Design Museum, I think seeing the sketch and end result of famous design makes me want to find out more. We certainly expect it to encourage people to visit Shad Thames and the museum in Kensington when it opens.”