Natural History Museum

Securing our future. It’s in our nature.

Creating a clear and rallying purpose-led brand positioning to help drive the future of the UK’s most famous museum of natural history.

Insight:

The Natural History Museum (NHM) is the most visited science attraction in the UK, the most visited natural history museum in Europe and one of the world’s leading science research centres.
In January 2020, and in response to the planetary emergency, the NHM launched a new organisational objective driven by the vision of a future where both people and the planet thrive.
Their mission? To create millions of advocates for the planet.
Our task was to undertake a root and branch audit of the brand, and from that develop a compelling brand proposition and strategy to engage global audiences with the new vision and mission, creating a compelling case for advocacy.

Idea:

Securing our future. It’s in our nature.
The new brand proposition encapsulates NHM’s reason for existing and its point of difference.
It articulates why NHM plans to “create a future where people and planet thrive” and how they plan to “create advocates for the planet”.
It’s the creative jumping off point for the new visual and verbal identity.
And it informs and guides how the NHM behaves and communicates with its audiences and stakeholders both internally and externally, helping to achieve the Vision & Strategy to 2031.
We created a compelling narrative for NHM teams to use and build upon – both consistently and creatively.

Identity:

Building on the brand proposition, the visual language expresses the shift in perception of the NHM, from a passive catalogue to an inspiring catalyst – looking to nature to inspire the future brand identity.
The NHM’s tone of voice is a fundamental and inseparable part of the brand identity. It’s what makes them stand out from the crowd.
Visual identity partners: Nomad/Pentagram

Implementation: