The Beaney
Naming, branding and wayfinding
Creating a personality for Canterbury’s diverse collections (and Kent’s flagship library). Branding, naming, signage, wayfinding, interpretation and everything inbetween.
First prize for the best creative relaunch and titling in 2012 must go to The Beaney House of Art & Knowledge. What a name!
This was new undertaking, bringing Kent’s Library service and Canterbury’s museum service into a shared building. Our workshops were the first time the two staff teams met and spoke together about the project.
Thank you for your inspired design and copywriting skills, your patience with the project and for such a brilliant and innovative design team. The Beaney has been hugely enhanced by Cog’s work.
What makes The Beaney unique is its sheer diversity. Our solution had to accommodate a very broad range of possible applications: from sophisticated gallery invitations to playgroup posters; from merchandise to wayfinding.
Our designs have been enthusiastically adopted for a broad selection of merchandise, uniforms and stationery
Wayfinding
Having established the branding we were then appointed to take on the signage and wayfinding for the building.
The journey begins with information totems at each entrance. These establish the visual language of pictograms and clear typography, and each has a flush-fitting, acrylic panel with apertures, allowing information to be updated and posters to be swapped out.
We used the font, FS Me, which was specially developed with Mencap to aid legibility. We also worked with an accessibility consultant to ensure that language was appropriate for the variety of visitors, that signage was hung appropriately and that materials were chosen to minimise glare.
Large maps are placed in strategic areas throughout the open spaces in the building. With through-to signs and large room names, navigation is uncluttered but always visible and friendly.
We also produced information totems, case-side books (and the layout of text and images within them) and templates for all of the in-case interpretation and labelling.
