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About

These guidelines have been created by the Barbican Studio, which is the in-house design team at the Barbican Centre, London. The Studio creates most of the visual material for the Centre. It is based in the Marketing Department and consists of four permanent designers.

The current structure of the design team was created in 2011 and coincides with a major rebranding project undertaken by North. The philosophy of the team is based on the visual guidelines North created at the time. These set out a flexible system influenced by the Centre’s vision of ‘arts without boundaries’ and includes strong visual elements that allow freedom and diversity.

For further information contact design@barbican.org.uk

Browse

Chapter
0.0 Our Voice 1.0 Invite 2.0 Show 3.0 Passion 4.0 Examples 5.0 Recap 6.0 Accessibility
Page
0.0.1 Intro 0.0.2 Values 0.0.3 Principles
1.0.1 Intro 1.0.2 Everyday 1.0.3 Personal 1.0.4 Shorten 1.0.5 Artspeak 1.0.6 Test
2.0.1 Imagine 2.0.2 Attention 2.0.3 Start 2.0.4 Concise 2.0.5 Qualifiers
3.0.1 Intro 3.0.2 Tell 3.0.3 Ask 3.0.4 Rhythm 3.0.5 Variety
4.0.1 Intro 4.0.2 Homepage 4.0.3 Season 4.0.4 Advert 4.0.5 Notice 4.0.6 Invite 4.0.7 Poster 4.0.8 Hire 4.0.9 Response 4.1.0 Report 4.1.1 Exhibition
5.0.1 Audiences 5.0.2 Cheatsheet
6.0.1 Language 6.0.2 Jargon 6.0.3 Headings 6.0.4 Links 6.0.5 Opinions 6.0.6 Images
Response

Before

Many thanks for your feedback concerning your booking experience.

In common with many other arts organisations, we do charge a booking fee. The decision to charge the current fee was not taken lightly and was made in a climate where we are under considerable financial pressure. Together with a variety of other income streams our booking fee helps us to continue to offer a diverse artistic programme and maintain our iconic building.

We do offer a reduced booking fee for online bookings, and as an alternative …

After

Thanks for your email.

Charging a booking fee helps support our range of different artforms, as well as our iconic building.

In a perfect world, we wouldn’t need booking fees. But right now, funding an organisation as big as the Barbican has never been harder.

We know paying a booking fee on top of the price of a ticket is frustrating. That’s why we offer a reduced fee online, and no charge at all if you pay in person or by post.

What’s not working?

  • Formal, corporate-sounding language: ‘not taken lightly’, ‘considerable financial pressure’, ‘as an alternative’
  • Giving the reader extra detail like ‘in common with many other arts organisations’ instead of getting to the point: ‘our booking fee helps us…offer a diverse artistic programme’

What’s changed?

  • Getting straight to the point: ‘charging a book fee helps support our range of different artforms’
  • Swapping formal phrases for everyday ones: we are under considerable financial pressure => funding…has never been harder

Source: Customer complaints response

Examples
4.0.9