The newly expanded Whitechapel Gallery re-opened in April 2009 and has received over 500,000 visitors to date. I worked with Spin on the initial concept and application of a brand re-fresh to co-inside with the opening, while leading an in-house design team at the Whitechapel Gallery to continue the brand guardianship across signage, print and web.

The new plinth-shaped branding device was developed and acts as a graphic tool that helps separate the brand from the image, ensuring a high level of legibility while maintaining the integrity of the artist’s work. The use of full bleed and closely cropped imagery suggests the personal relationship a visitor can expect with the art. The consistent use of this new identity makes the Gallery’s printed materials easily recognisable.

Sustaining the distinguished design of the original Whitechapel Font based on a modular system of 90 and 45 degree triangles, the solid tone Whitechapel Bold font is a refreshed version with improved legibility. The simple and clear Akkurat Bold and Akkurat are the supporting fonts, used for body copy.

Working with Holmes Wood I helped create a new wayfinding scheme for the Gallery spaces, across two buildings, the resulting signage uses the plinth branding device as information holder. This flexible use of the plinth branding device gives a coherent appearance to major events whilst keeping the Whitechapel Gallery’s identity manifest throughout.

The recognisable plinth branding device, the refreshed Whitechapel Font and respectful treatment of imagery form the essentials of the renewed visual identity.

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