Design Culture give Fulham Palace a layered new look
Press release April 2019
Directors Steve Wilkins and Kristen Streten worked on the new identity, which has been designed to help the Palace attract a bigger and broader audience.
They have created a new identity system for Fulham Palace in west London which will relaunch in May following a two-year restoration with a new museum and restored historic rooms.
The new identity is designed to reflect the Palace’s mission to become one of Great Britain’s most loved and inspiring historic houses and gardens, engaging people of all ages with the stories of the Bishops of London and the site’s longer history.
The Palace’s new museum opens on 25 May, and is brand new. Combined with the newly restored historic rooms, doubling the space set aside to telling the story of the Palace. The restoration also brings life back to the Tudor courtyard, which has been meticulously repointed using traditional methods and materials. In the garden there is a new bed, comprising specimens which were originally grown at the Palace 300 years ago by keen plantsman Bishop Compton.
To accompany the new spaces, Fulham Palace commissioned a new brand, to give the Palace a clearer, stronger identity which reflects the Palace’s long history. The brand needed to be attractive to visitors and to reflect the professional work which takes place there.
Layers of history
Design Culture has created an identity which reflects the layered history of the Palace, taking inspiration from Victorian dioramas used in the museum, and stratigraphy (the layers of soil found in the archaeological excavations carried out in the Palace site). This is indicated in the use of coloured layers, which are shaded to show depth.
Titles are divided into three lines, adding impact and intrigue. The use of a core colour with reducing or increasing opacity is again used.
The new logo is simple and recognisable, with the addition of ‘House & Garden’ to make it clear what the visitor offer is. It will appear primarily in a deep purple, the core colour of the new brand a colour which draws on the site’s long ecclesiastic history as the home of the Bishops of London. This colour will appear in some form on all applications of the brand. Other colours in the palette are bright and rich pink, blue, teal and orange hues, inspired by the Tudor bricks and botanic garden the house sits in, indicating the vibrant history of the Palace.
Application
Website
A new website will be the first major piece of the new brand that Fulham Palace visitors will see. User experience has been at the centre of the design of the Palace’s new website, and was the result of a consultation with Fulham Palace stakeholders and staff. The focus of the design is on improving the visitor experience, making it simpler to navigate, with clear, clean pages using strong colours to highlight content, drawing the user around the site. It is mobile optimised as the majority of users are now accessing the site through mobiles or tablets.
Interpretation
The creation of a new museum and restoration of the historic rooms which open at the end of May means that the new brand is being applied throughout the Palace. Visitors will see layers of history being revealed through creative storytelling on information panels inside and outside the Palace.
Further applications
Signage has been developed in consultation with Design Culture, again with graphic layers adding depth and colour to directional signage which can so easily be missed.
The brand is also being applied to all print materials in the Palace, and online on social media accounts and the Palace’s monthly newsletters.
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Notes for Editors
Entry to Fulham Palace is free
Further information and press images
Nicola Price, Fulham Palace Trust | 020 7610 7166 | communications@fulhampalace.org
About Fulham Palace
Fulham Palace is the historic home of the Bishops of London. Acquired in AD 704, for centuries the Palace and surrounding estate served as a country retreat for the bishops and their families before becoming the Bishop’s permanent residence in the early 20th century until the last Bishop moved out in 1973. The Palace and 13 acre botanic garden are now managed by Fulham Palace Trust, an independent charity dedicated to the ongoing preservation, restoration and interpretation of this historically important site.
Restoration and renewal
In May 2019 Fulham Palace Trust will complete a £3.8 million three year restoration project, supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. The Discovering the Bishop of London’s Palace at Fulham project includes increased visitor access to some of the oldest parts of the Palace, bringing key historic rooms back to life, and a new museum, designed by conservation architect Purcell. The project also includes improving access around the botanic garden and replanting historic varieties of plants.
Fulham Palace has a wealth of things to see and do all year round, from finding out about the lives and characters of the Bishops of London in the museum and the long history of the site dating back to the Neolithic period, to having lunch in the drawing room café or a walk through the Palace’s beautiful garden, including taking a look at fresh produce grown in the Palace garden on the market barrow in the walled garden. Admission to Fulham Palace and its garden is free, except for special tours and events.
The Palace is available to hire as a stunning venue for weddings as well as private and corporate events. It can also be hired as a location for filming, with many period rooms spanning the Tudor to Georgian periods and substantial gardens.
Visitor information
Entry is free
The Palace and garden are open throughout the year – please see website for details of opening times for the museum, café, botanic garden and walled garden.
Access
The Palace and garden are accessible to people with disabilities and assistance dogs are welcome. Limited disabled parking is available to book.
Travel
Fulham Palace is located on Bishop’s Avenue, Fulham, London SW6 6EA just off Fulham Palace Road (A219). It can be reached easily by tube to Putney Bridge Underground Station (District Line) and train to Putney Station (Southwest Trains, travel time approximately 15 minutes from central London) and by local buses stopping on Fulham Palace Road, Fulham High Street or Putney Bridge Approach (14, 22, 39, 74, 85, 93, 220, 265, 270, 414, 424, 430). Metred parking is available on Bishop’s Avenue.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
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