Museum of Chelmsford
2024
Local government
2024
Local government
Take a look at the Museum of Chelmsford’s new brand identity, and explore how we delivered this pivotal change for the beloved museum.
The challenge: crafting a future-ready brand
The goal was to create a brand that reflected the museum’s role within the community, sparking curiosity and engagement while fitting seamlessly within the Chelmsford City Council brand. We knew we needed to develop a brand that would distil the museum’s essence and values into a cohesive identity.
Our approach: a community-led transformation
A key component of our strategy was involving the local community throughout the process. We facilitated brand workshops with community groups, staff, and volunteers, ensuring diverse voices shaped the brand’s direction.
From these sessions, three creative pathways emerged: two focused on the museum’s role in the community and its diverse offerings, while the third emphasised learning and discovery. Through collective decision-making, stakeholders helped define a brand identity that would be welcoming, playful, and accessible.
The vision: “History United; a museum for everyone”
The chosen concept, “History United; A museum for everyone,” celebrates the museum as an inclusive space for all. This vision inspired an eclectic, engaging brand identity designed to captivate a broad audience.
To achieve this, we balanced geometric shapes with a contemporary typeface, reinforcing a sense of structure and curiosity. The colour palette, initially seen as a challenge, was embraced for its vibrant, childlike energy—ensuring appeal across generations.
The brand mark, a stylised abstraction of the museum’s initials (MOC), symbolises community and inclusivity. Its modular design, reminiscent of children’s building blocks, evokes playfulness while maintaining sophistication—engaging younger audiences while offering nostalgia for older visitors. This balance ensures the museum both honours the past and inspires future learning.
A flexible identity system
Given the museum’s vast collection and diverse audience, we introduced a flexible identity system. The composed layout blends modern and traditional design elements, using white space strategically to create an inviting, open aesthetic.
This system ensures brand consistency while allowing for dynamic presentations, encouraging curiosity and reinforcing the museum’s role as a place of discovery and innovation.
A name with purpose: from ‘Chelmsford Museum’ to ‘Museum of Chelmsford’
A core aspect of the rebranding was reconsidering the museum’s name. To reinforce a stronger sense of place and ownership, we recommended renaming it from ‘Chelmsford Museum’ to ‘Museum of Chelmsford.’ This subtle yet impactful shift reestablishes the institution’s role as a hub for the city’s cultural and historical narrative.
Alongside the new name, we introduced the strapline: Explore. Inspire. Share. Evolving from the original ‘History United’ tagline, this phrase encapsulates the museum’s mission to ignite curiosity, foster learning, and create shared experiences.
Striking the right tone: playful yet educational
To challenge the perception of museums as static or overly formal, we injected a sense of fun and accessibility into the brand. By incorporating cut-out elements from existing photography and bold design choices, we created an identity that celebrates the museum’s rich heritage and invites visitors to engage with it in new and exciting ways.
The result is a brand that bridges generations—capturing the imagination of children, students, and families and preserves the museum’s vital educational role. Through this refreshed identity, the Museum of Chelmsford now stands as a vibrant, inclusive space where history and community come together.
This is Fever took us step-by-step through the process – from reevaluating our values and mission, to creative implementation of a new visual identity helping bring our personality alive. We can’t wait to keep working on it as the museum continues to grow its offer and engage with visitors, new and existing.
