Museum of Croydon

The Museum of Croydon sits in the heart of the town centre within the historic Clocktower building, which also houses other cultural offerings such as Central Library, the local cinema and town hall.

The museum had adopted a new logo before Covid and more recently a lead colour, but they had no other consistent elements to form a cohesive visual identity. The original brief was to create a visual identity retaining the existing logo. However, after the initial stakeholder session, it became apparent that the logo required evolution to become more accessible and welcoming, to effectively share the museum’s stories of local people past and present.

Their symbol, which represents the Clocktower building where they reside, was streamlined for ease of use. We then paired it with a friendly and accessible font, which shared the geometric characteristics of the symbol.

We brought the visual identity to life through a set of shapes that directly link back to their Clocktower symbol, a series of unique icons that represent their key collections and a colour palette that was inspired by Museum artefacts, with the lead colour being adjusted to match the museum’s iconic 1960s bubble car.

Since launching the identity, we’ve supported the museum on two projects that demonstrate its flexibility in use. For The Sound of Croydon – an exhibition celebrating the life and music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor – we helped create a warm, story-led environment, using patterns, colour cues and layout details inspired by Coleridge-Taylor’s own living room to build a welcoming, immersive feel. We also worked with the Archives team on their new digital zone, applying the identity to wayfinding, interface graphics and interpretive elements to support clearer navigation and more intuitive engagement with the interactive kiosks. Together, these projects show how the visual system can adapt across physical and digital spaces while maintaining a cohesive museum experience.