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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
Intro

Invite everybody in

The Barbican is open to everyone. So our language needs to be open to everyone too.

If some people can’t understand what we’re saying, they won’t want to spend time with us.

  • Use everyday words
  • Use ‘we’ and ‘you’
  • Use contractions
  • Translate ‘artspeak’ words
  • Do the Old Street test
Invite everybody in
1.0.1
Everyday

Use everyday words

Everyday words mean we can reach more people. That’s important because:

  • The average reading age in the UK is nine years old
  • 7.1 million adults are described as having ‘very poor literacy’ skills

Using everyday words makes our writing more accessible to people who might not think the Barbican is for them.

  • in order to => to
  • nevertheless => but
  • in addition to => and

Remember: nobody likes reading long-winded, complex writing. Not even sophisticated or ‘expert’ readers.

Learn more about why plain language works for everyone.

Invite everybody in
1.0.2
Personal

Use ‘we’, ‘you’ and ‘our’

Using the third person (‘the Barbican’, ‘visitors’) makes us sound distant. ‘We’, ‘you’ and ‘our’ make us sound warmer and more open.

The Barbican works with corporate partners => We’ll work with you.

The Barbican library is open from 9am => Our library is open from 9am.

Invite everybody in
1.0.3
Shorten

Use contractions

We use contractions all the time when we’re speaking — like ‘it’s’ and ‘you’ll’. Using them in our writing helps it flow naturally.

We will help you take your seat => We’ll help you take your seat.

Invite everybody in
1.0.4
Artspeak

Watch out for ‘artspeak’

Talking about art and culture means we sometimes need to use complex language like ‘twelve-tone composition’ or ‘abstract expressionism’.

That’s not a problem — so long as we ask if our reader might need more information (like someone new to classical music).

But we need to watch out for ‘artspeak’ words like ‘interrogate’ or ‘notions’. They make us sound stuffy and academic, which puts some people off visiting.

Try to translate ‘artspeak’ into simpler, more everyday language:

This exhibition interrogates contemporary notions of masculinity => What exactly does ‘masculinity’ mean today?

Invite everybody in
1.0.5
Test

Do the Old Street test

If you spend all day inside the Barbican, it’s easy to forget that real people are going to read your writing.

So once you’ve finished writing, take a mental trip to Old Street. Show someone your first draft, and ask yourself:

  • Would they get it?
  • Would they think it was written for them?

If the answer is ‘yes’ (or even ‘kind of’), you’re probably on the right track.

If the answer is a ‘no’, it’s time to revisit.

Invite everybody in
1.0.6