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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
Imagine

Imagine your reader

You might be writing an exhibition brochure going out to thousands of people. But for the moment, imagine you’re writing to just one person:

  • What do they want from your writing? Information? Inspiration? Reassurance?
  • What might they be feeling? Curious? Bored? Annoyed?
  • Where will they be reading? Online? On their phone? In the Barbican?

Write with that person in mind, then read your draft back from their point of view.

Show we know our stuff
2.0.1
Attention

Show why it matters

Our readers are busy, and we need to work hard to grab their attention.

Why should they care?
What does it mean to them?











Example:

We invest in the artists of tomorrow creating a platform for independent directors and working with a variety of international film festivals and arts partners.

=> Discover tomorrow’s hottest filmmakers. It’s part of our plan to support independent directors — with help from international film festivals and arts partners.

Show we know our stuff
2.0.2
Start

Start with the main point

What’s the one thing you really want your reader to know? Make it unmissable by putting it at the start of your writing.

(This is different to the way we’re taught to write in school, where you start building an argument towards a conclusion.)








Example:

As one of London’s premier arts and learning centres, the Barbican is the perfect venue for your event.

=> We’re the perfect place for your next event.

Show we know our stuff
2.0.3
Concise

Keep it concise

Use short sentences and short paragraphs.

Try reading your sentence out loud. If you need to take more than one breath, it’s probably too long:









Example:

The Barbican has an ambitious cross-arts programme and we are incredibly grateful to those partners helping the Barbican expand its reach and impact around the world.

=> We’ve got an ambitious cross-arts programme. And we’re grateful to the partners around the world helping us to reach even more people.

Show we know our stuff
2.0.4
Qualifiers

Cut the qualifiers

Watch out for words like ‘may’, ‘could’ and ‘you can’ — they make us sound hesitant and uncertain.












Example:

If you have a question about your booking or require performance information, you can contact our Box Office team.

=> Got a question about your booking? Want to know more about the performance? Get help from our Box Office team.

Show we know our stuff
2.0.5