From its cathedral to its Roman theatre, St Albans isn’t short of historic sites. In June 2018, following a five-year development of its old town hall by architects John McAslan + Partners, the Hertfordshire city gained a new cultural attraction: the St Albans Museum + Gallery. Studio Sutherl&’s identity for the museum draws on the city’s history, taking inspiration from its historic coat of arms and Saltire flag. The logo is made up of four triangles, with the negative space forming the shape of a cross. The logotype is another nod to the cross, with its name rotated 45 degrees to form an ‘x’ instead of a plus symbol.

The triangle is a common theme throughout the studio’s wayfinding system for the museum; angled signs protruding from the walls help guide visitors around the space, while captions are printed on triangular stands. The same idea is carried through to the museum’s triangle-themed range of merchandise, and even in the café space, where menus are fixed to boards with triangular paper clips. It’s a thoughtful and imaginative identity system that gives the museum a ready-made flexible device to tell a range of different stories about the city and its rich history.

Credits:
St Albans Museum + Gallery. Design Studio: Studio Sutherl&. Creative Director: Jim Sutherland. Designer: Rosey Trickett. Strategy: Jane Wentworth Associates. Exhibition Design: Mowat & Co. Production: Fonteyne Signs. Print: Boss Print. Lettering Artist: Charles Stewart. Photography: Cecelina Tornburg. Website: Tincan.