London Transport Museum
Sector
Retail
Location
Covent Garden
How do you take one of the world’s most iconic brands and showcase its heritage while simultaneously giving it a retail refresh?
From the Routemaster bus to the classic tube map poster and Johnston sans-serif typeface, London Transport has always had a strong visual presence. It was our job to celebrate that history while updating it for 2020.
The London Transport Museum is located in Central London’s Covent Garden, in a distinctive Grade II listed building. This meant there were strict limits on what we could do. As a public space, there were major health & safety considerations too. Plus there were many different stakeholders to please.
Our brief was to improve the visibility, customer experience and sales from the museum’s shared retail, café/bar and theatre reception areas.
Shared spaces like these have competing demands. In some places, the building took centre stage and dwarfed the retail products. Elsewhere, it was the shop that overshadowed the captivating architecture.
Further challenges included simplifying the retail environment and instore navigation while rationalising interior space to prevent bottlenecks. We also had to increase the shop’s visibility from outside.
Our solution elegantly addressed the needs of the shared space, the brand and the building.
We used colours and simple, clear lines to aid shop navigation. Careful lighting removed unwanted shadows and highlighted distinctive architectural features. New interactive touch screens allowed customers to explore and purchase from the museum’s extensive poster collection, including those not currently available in-store.
For the walls, graphics were created based on LTM’s moquette collection – the iconic woven fabric designs used on London transport upholstery since the 1930s. These also complemented retail items such as cushions and iPad covers that use the same classic patterns.
The shared upper level now has easy-to-move fixtures on wheels that fit into the museum’s lifts. Meanwhile, rotating displays can be simply changed from products to promotional or event spaces. A suspended floor increases the footprint of the upstairs bar.
Below, ambient lights make the entrance unmissable. A light sculpture of the London Underground Map now hangs as a centrepiece to enhance the visibility of the shop’s atrium.
To publicise the new-look museum, we created some pop-up displays in tube stations. As well as illuminated graphics and displays, we made good use of little-used alcoves throughout the station network.
Throughout the work, the museum never closed. To minimise disruption, we operated in zones, and also toiled through the night on occasion.
Despite the many challenges, we delivered on time and on budget. The results achieved have surpassed expectations, in terms of both visual impact and financial performance. Sales from the shop rose by 17%, and the museum now has the flexible space that it needs to develop further.
How do you take one of the world’s most iconic brands and showcase its heritage while simultaneously giving it a retail refresh?
From the Routemaster bus to the classic tube map poster and Johnston sans-serif typeface, London Transport has always had a strong visual presence. It was our job to celebrate that history while updating it for 2020.
The London Transport Museum is located in Central London’s Covent Garden, in a distinctive Grade II listed building. This meant there were strict limits on what we could do. As a public space, there were major health & safety considerations too. Plus there were many different stakeholders to please.
Our brief was to improve the visibility, customer experience and sales from the museum’s shared retail, café/bar and theatre reception areas.
Shared spaces like these have competing demands. In some places, the building took centre stage and dwarfed the retail products. Elsewhere, it was the shop that overshadowed the captivating architecture.
Further challenges included simplifying the retail environment and instore navigation while rationalising interior space to prevent bottlenecks. We also had to increase the shop’s visibility from outside.
Our solution elegantly addressed the needs of the shared space, the brand and the building.
We used colours and simple, clear lines to aid shop navigation. Careful lighting removed unwanted shadows and highlighted distinctive architectural features. New interactive touch screens allowed customers to explore and purchase from the museum’s extensive poster collection, including those not currently available in-store.
For the walls, graphics were created based on LTM’s moquette collection – the iconic woven fabric designs used on London transport upholstery since the 1930s. These also complemented retail items such as cushions and iPad covers that use the same classic patterns.
The shared upper level now has easy-to-move fixtures on wheels that fit into the museum’s lifts. Meanwhile, rotating displays can be simply changed from products to promotional or event spaces. A suspended floor increases the footprint of the upstairs bar.
Below, ambient lights make the entrance unmissable. A light sculpture of the London Underground Map now hangs as a centrepiece to enhance the visibility of the shop’s atrium.
To publicise the new-look museum, we created some pop-up displays in tube stations. As well as illuminated graphics and displays, we made good use of little-used alcoves throughout the station network.
Throughout the work, the museum never closed. To minimise disruption, we operated in zones, and also toiled through the night on occasion.
Despite the many challenges, we delivered on time and on budget. The results achieved have surpassed expectations, in terms of both visual impact and financial performance. Sales from the shop rose by 17%, and the museum now has the flexible space that it needs to develop further.
