The Story Museum

DBA Design Effectiveness Award

“The new identity brilliantly expresses the spirit of The Story Museum to our many and very different stakeholders.

Kim Pickin

Founder

The Story Museum is the most unusual museum in Oxford. Through immersive exhibitions, gallery spaces and events, they celebrate story in all forms. Following a major refurbishment, DC&CO rebranded the museum with a full brand strategy process, interviewing staff and stakeholders to define what makes The Story Museum genuinely unlike anywhere else.

That process led to the positioning ‘A surprise around every corner’. We created a flexible design system based around our new distinctive logo to work across posters, digital and social media.

SILVER winner DBA Design Effectiveness Awards 2026

+34% above income target

+79% increase in gross income

+241% increase in average ticket income

+329% improved footfall 2017/18 vs 2023/24

+34% visitor numbers have consistently grown year on year after Covid 2021–2024

+33% growth in school visits

 

The Story Museum logo with bold white lettering on orange background, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

 

 

“The combination of a clear proposition and a confident visual identity has helped to increase brand awareness of the Museum. This led to greater recognition from the national arts and heritage sector as demonstrated in the award nominations, frequent peer visits, regular requests for thought leadership from our team and increased interest in jobs and volunteering at the Museum.”
Caroline Jones, CEO

The Story Museum Café logo with bold white lettering on sage green background, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

The Story Museum bus shelter poster in an Oxford street reading "Re-Re-Opens 06.08.20" on a bright blue sky background, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

The Story Museum What's On guide for April 2020 Spring Reopening with dragon illustration on red background, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

“We’re distributing 20,000 season guides three times a year and the brand is working brilliantly in leaflet racks and the website. The distribution networks ask us for more when they run out.”
Sophie Hiscock, Director of Communications and Impact

Two Story Museum underground posters — Alice in Wonderland and Winnie the Pooh — displayed in tube station ad panels, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Story Museum bus shelter poster "We're Not Scared" with Going on a Bear Hunt illustration in an Oxford street, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

A storyteller in a Story Museum branded orange top reading to two young children at the museum, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

The Story Museum Twitter feed on a phone screen against an orange background showing posts about AlicesDay going virtual, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Sign-writer painting the large Story Museum logo in blue on the exterior of the Oxford building, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Story Museum Café signage on exposed brick wall with orange and purple branded elements, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Story Museum exterior wayfinding sign reading "The Galleries" with orange directional arrow on a brick wall beside teal-painted window frames, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Story Museum branded orange tote bag with bold black wordmark lettering on a peach background, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Two Story Museum branded teddy bears wearing white T-shirts with the wordmark in the museum shop, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Story Museum branded bookmarks in blue and orange with the wordmark displayed in the museum shop, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Two Story Museum branded notebooks with blue sky and clouds cover design featuring the white wordmark, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Framed "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman exhibit panel mounted on a dark wood wall in the Story Museum, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Framed "The House at Pooh Corner" by A.A. Milne exhibit panel in a rustic gold frame on a dark wood wall in the Story Museum, The Story Museum arts culture charity museum rebrand, by David Carroll & Co London

 

Read The Guardian‘s review about The Story Museum here

What we did

A full rebrand from the ground up: brand audit, competitor research, brand strategy, positioning, identity and digital. We worked closely with the team throughout, including managing the brand through the reopening and beyond. The results speak for themselves.

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