Ashmolean Museum
Reframing history
Working with: Blast
Founded in 1683, the Ashmolean Museum is the UK’s oldest museum and one of its most visited. A magnificent building sitting proudly at the heart of the University of Oxford, its world-class collections encompass half a million years of human history and creativity. In 2019, looking to reposition and rebrand their museum, the Ashmolean commissioned our talented friends at Blast, who drafted us in to curate the words.
Blast's elegant visual solution includes a timeline approach that cleverly repurposes the 'A' of the logo as a pointer, placing the museum within the vast historical scope it encompasses. We supported this approach by creating a flexible strapline solution that delivers similar versatility, enabling the museum to reflect the breadth of their collections and their unique place in history.
One of the rebrand's main objectives was to attract new and previously underserved audiences. Focusing on people and communities, we articulated the museum’s new positioning as ‘Sharing people’s stories across cultures and through time’. We brought this idea to life through real examples, then rolled it out across their brand language, from boilerplate to key messages and so on.
Once we'd defined the brand language principles, it was time to create the guidelines. We included the occasional dash of wit to connect with new audiences, and then developed guidance to extend the museum’s voice across every touchpoint, from exhibition ads, to signage and merchandise. A major cultural institution that now speaks clearly and engagingly to everyone, the Ashmolean is all set for its next 340 years.