Design Museum calls in Spin Studio to brand major climate programme

There are GIFS used throughout this article.

Spin Studio is using a clear, simple design motif to elevate the profile of the Design Museum’s climate programme. Having worked with the Museum on the first identity for Future Observatory when it launched in 2021, the London-based design team has carried out a “large-scale” design overhaul to help take it “into its next stage as an organisation”, a release explains.

One of the first places Spin Studio looked for inspiration was the name of the project itself. The word “observatory” bought up ideas of binoculars and eyes, which then led the design team to circles. In fact, Spin Studio quickly found that a basic circle could represent “any number of ideas associated with Future Observatory”, like the circular economy or the targets of the net zero agenda. It quickly became the foundation of the work with Spin introducing further variations on the concept, such as the use of a pair of circles for the extended graphic language.

Spin has also introduced a custom typeface, designed to suggest an organic feeling of growth, alongside an expanded colour palette and redesigned website. The result is abstract at points, but doesn’t fall into some of the standard imagery associated with climate-action projects; green, for example, is used sparingly.

After launching in 2021, Future Observatory has launched a multi-million-pound fund focused on research and catalysing the transition to net zero. The new identity should bring further momentum around the project and Design Museum’s goals to redefine its role as a museum.