NATIONAL IDENTITY
Why the NRM has decided to drop the word ‘national’ from its brand after 43 years.
The NRM explains its recent rebrand
In April, the National Railway Museum revealed that it was dropping the word ‘national’ from its logo. As reported in SR480, the museum has pledged that its title will remain the NRM, despite the £100,000 rebrand, but Steam Railway sought to find out how York had reached the conclusion that “there are some visitors who are a little put off by the word ‘national’”. This is how the museum responded.
“As part of the rebrand across the Science Museum Group – delivered with the leading design agency North – we’ve undertaken several pieces of research to help us understand attitudes to our visual identity, our subject matter and the words the museums use to describe themselves.
“Back in 2015 and 2016, when the National Media Museum was looking at changing its name, the group conducted focus groups with members of the public from Wakefield, Halifax, Leeds, Bradford and York to help guide that decision. Those focus groups revealed a fine balance between the expectations and status of a ‘national’ museum (respected, a leader, serious, big, corporate, trusted with history, etc) and the need to be a commercially viable attraction which could also be seen as fun, exciting, and appealing to a wide range of potential visitors.
“Even though most people in these sessions were not aware of the specific meaning of ‘national’ in relation to UK museums (i.e. their funding by the DCMS [Department for Digital,
Culture, Media & Sport] and free entrance*), the word did seem to resonate with people, conveying scale, quality and uniqueness. Interestingly, very few people in the focus groups understood ‘national’ to mean free entrance, but when they did, they certainly saw this as a positive. For some the word ‘national’ was a turn-off – suggesting an overly serious and intimidating approach to the subject and a dry, academic tone. For others, particularly those who lived close to national museums, the word was a real badge of pride.
“The National Media Museum eventually rebranded as the National Science and Media Museum.
“It was never an option for the National Railway Museum to lose the word ‘national’ from its name. We embrace all the status, cachet and responsibility that comes with it. We wear it proudly above our main entrance. One thing we have learned from the research is that you can never shout too loudly about one of the most important parts of being a ‘national’ – free entry. So we are working hard to give that message much more prominence on our website and advertising.
“Our new visual identity is contemporary and fresh and is helping us to communicate a broader mission to explore the past, present and future of railway innovation.”
●● What do you think: does the rebrand enhance or weaken the NRM’s standing?
*The NRM was made free to enter for all visitors in 2001.