BRIGHTON.- A world-class museum service in Brighton & Hove has revealed a new look and name to herald a new era in the history of the organisation.

The Royal Pavilion & Museums Trust has announced it will now be known as Brighton & Hove Museums, with a modern new brand identity. The new look will vividly communicate the direction being taken across the service since the museums became an independent charitable trust.

Sitting at the heart of the new brand identity is a logo based on the ampersand (&) symbol. The inspiration behind the logo comes from the fact Brighton & Hove is the only city in the UK with an ampersand in its name.

The & symbol also represents the inclusive nature of the city and its residents as well as the museum service itself, whose mission is to provide an outstanding, diverse and inclusive service to all residents of the city and beyond. The bespoke & symbol has been carefully drawn with six component parts, representing six destinations – five physical and one digital – that make up Brighton & Hove Museums, which include Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, the Booth Museum of Natural History and Hove Museum & Art Gallery.

In addition, the Royal Pavilion will now be known as the Royal Pavilion & Garden, and Preston Manor will be known as Preston Manor & Gardens to recognise that vibrant outdoor spaces are an integral part of the overall visitor experience.

The brand identity and website were created by Brighton-based creative agency Baxter & Bailey. The agency interviewed Brighton & Hove Museums staff, visitors and stakeholders from a variety of community groups to discover what the museum service means to them individually and collectively. Their responses and ideas helped to influence both the visual aspect of the branding as well as written communications.

As our new strapline says, our destinations – and the exciting new brand identity that represents them – are always surprising and unmistakably Brighton & Hove.

CEO of Brighton & Hove Museums Hedley Swain said: “Although the Royal Pavilion is our most famous site, we have five brilliant venues all offering something different to the residents of Brighton & Hove and visitors from elsewhere. As a service we want to celebrate all our sites and the diverse but inclusive nature of Brighton & Hove. We think local design agency Baxter and Bailey have done an excellent job capturing our values in the new brand.”

Matt Baxter, Creative Director of Baxter & Bailey said: “To help deliver a project as significant and ambitious as this was a real honour for Baxter & Bailey. While we work with clients all over the world, it’s important for us to contribute positively to the cultural life of the city we’re proud to live and work in. These venues and their treasures are world-class, deserving of a world-class identity. We hope that the design system we’ve devised will become part of the fabric of Brighton & Hove, as well-recognised and well-loved as the Pavilion dome itself.”

Design Director of Baxter & Bailey, Rory Brady: “I was born in Brighton and have lived a significant chunk of my life here, and I know these venues intimately. So the opportunity to help shape their future was a bit of a dream project. It felt important for our team to design a solution that was open and inclusive, actively welcoming the broadest and widest possible audiences. We also wanted to ensure that all of the venues felt connected and part of a family. I think we've achieved just that.”