London Museum's Bold New Logo

In this ever-changing era, even long-established museums need to update their image from time to time to attract new audiences. Recently, the London Museum made a bold decision by choosing a pigeon in the act of defecating as its new logo, garnering widespread attention from the public and media. What inspired the museum to make such a daring creative choice?

The Inspiration Behind the New Logo

When you walk through the streets of London, pigeons are almost an inevitable presence. They perch on top of sculptures or leisurely forage in subway stations, becoming an integral part of the city. This inspired the London Museum's new logo design. The pigeon sculpture in the new logo is made from locally sourced London clay, while the splattering droppings below it are designed to shine brightly.

The Symbolism of the Pigeon Droppings

According to the museum's official statement, the pigeon is a "humble observer" of London life. The image of the pigeon defecating in the logo symbolizes the duality of "grit and glitter" in the city, representing the coexistence of London's history and modernity. The "glitter" naturally refers to the shiny droppings in the logo, symbolizing the city's life, which is both dirty and beautiful, as well as its diverse culture.

Why Change the Logo?

The London Museum, originally named "The Museum of London," was established in 1976 through the merger of the Guildhall Museum and the London Museum. For the past few decades, it has been an important place for cultural and historical research in London. Due to the original location being relatively hidden and having building restrictions, the museum closed its original site at the end of 2022 and plans to move to a new location in Smithfield in 2026, taking this opportunity to rebrand.

The museum not only simplified its name from "The Museum of London" to "London Museum" but also decided to redesign the logo representing the museum's facade.

The Design Process of the New Logo

According to the museum's official blog post, the museum consulted 500 London residents and tourists through focus group discussions, workshops, and surveys. They found that the old logo was no longer popular and did not represent the current life of Londoners. The museum needed to be more in touch with reality, leading to this rebranding. The new logo was designed by Uncommon Creative Studio, which recruited 33 local London residents, including tattoo artists, DJs, chefs, children's TV producers, boxers, and museum conservators, to provide input. Ultimately, they decided on this design.

Museum director Sharon Ament explained, "A good logo can spark discussion. We made the pigeon from London clay and designed the splattering with shiny materials to make people rethink London." She also mentioned that pigeons are a symbol of Londoners: "We share our city with others, including millions of animals. Pigeons are everywhere in London, and so are we."