The Tangram Guide to Arts and Culture Brands Part 1: Visitor Attractions
Welcome to the first instalment of Tangram’s guide to arts and culture brands.
We kick off looking at the top 20 Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) venues.
This is a blog I’ve been meaning to write for a while, mostly because I’m pretty certain that a resource like this doesn’t exist anywhere else. My aim is to turn this into a semi-regular feature on the Tangram blog.
For each attraction, I’ve included a logo and a positioning statement. A quick note on positioning:
They’ve been sourced using publicly available information for example websites, annual reports and strategy documents where possible.
In some cases, where no explicit positioning is available, I’ve drawn from homepage copy or straplines, but this has been a last resort
And while terminology varies (vision, mission, brand essence, brand DNA, etc etc), I’ve chosen to follow Professor Mark Ritson’s lead in referring to this as a brand’s positioning, defined as its “intended brand image”
There are a few instances where an attraction is part of a group and it has made more sense to look at the group’s brand. This is most obvious for the Tower of London where the Historic Royal Palaces logo is featured below.
Since this list is based on ALVA attractions, I’ve also included 2024 visitor numbers to provide additional context.
Of course, this is not a comprehensive brand audit. It doesn’t show how each brand is expressed in campaigns, exhibitions or visitor experience and for the most part I’ve written it without access to brand toolkits. But I hope it’s a valuable reference point for arts marketers, cultural brand strategists and anyone interested in how visitor attractions present themselves.
Needless to say, I’ve done my best to make information as accurate as possible at the time of publication. If you spot a mistake, drop us a line and I’ll do my best to correct it. Indeed I noticed earlier in the year that the British Museum has published a rebrand tender which means even the first entry needs to come with a health warning that it might already be out of date.
At the end you’ll find some of my observations and reflections.
Finally, full disclosure: there’s a few recent clients and past employers of the Tangram team on this list.
The British Museum
Location: London
URL: https://www.britishmuseum.org/
Visitors: 6,479,952
Positioning:
The British Museum's aim is to hold a collection representative of world cultures and to ensure that the collection is housed in safety, conserved, curated, researched and exhibited.
Natural History Museum (NHM)
Location: London
Visitors: 6,301,972
Positioning:
We are creating advocates for the planet.
We face a planetary emergency. Our future depends on the natural world, but we are not combating our own destructive impact on the planet.
Earth is now changing fast under the influence of human behaviour. Climate change and biodiversity loss are just some of the manifestations.
By threatening natural systems, we threaten our own future. We must act now, we must act on scientific evidence and we must act together.
Our vision is of a future where both people and planet thrive.
Our mission is to create advocates for the planet.
Our strategy to 2031 sets out the part the Natural History Museum will play as a global, scientific and cultural leader.
Our hope
Understanding life on Earth is the greatest scientific challenge of our age. We cannot hope to develop solutions without research that unlocks the underlying biology and applied science.
Alongside the science, all of us need hope: hope that there is a future where both people and the planet thrive. Building and spreading this hope through evidence and action will be the foundation of our strategy in the coming decade.
In today's challenging times, we will create advocates for the planet: individuals who feel sufficiently informed, confident and motivated to make wise decisions, to get involved, and to use their influence and actions to make a positive difference to the global future.
To achieve this, we will harness our collection, our research and our reach.
Windsor Great Park
Location: Windsor
URL: https://www.windsorgreatpark.co.uk/
Visitors: 5,670,430
Part of the Windsor Estate, Windsor Great Park is an ancient Royal landscape of forests, grasslands, lakes and gardens. Visit and you will discover 1,000 years of history including historical monuments, rare wildlife and National Collections of plants and Champion Trees.
Tate Modern
Location: London
Visitors: 4,603,025
Positioning:
We want to celebrate the art of the past and present in its complexity and diversity, supporting artistic risktaking and deep scholarship. This will be shared with all our audiences: in our buildings, in exhibitions we tour, through works we loan and across our digital platforms.
We believe access to art is a universal human right and we see our galleries as sites of creative learning. We want to champion the importance of making art and encourage people to explore the many ways in which art is created and to develop their own creative potential.
We hold the national collection of British art, spanning 500 years, and of modern and contemporary international art that reaches across all continents: we share and celebrate access to this collection and deepen understanding of its importance.
Tate is a leading global institution and we will continue to influence critical thinking about art practice. Tate is committed to maintaining free entry to our collections.
We want to welcome audiences that better reflect our nation and attract a diverse international public.
Our reach is already powerful. We intend to increase its impact across society, with art that will resonate around the world. We will redefine museum experiences for the 21st century, offering a greater depth and range of experiences and offering visitors multiple points of engagement with our collection and ideas about art.
Southbank Centre
Location: London
URL: https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/
Visitors: 3,734,075
Positioning:
Purpose
To offer inspirational, life-enhancing encounters with art in democratic, open spaces.
Vision
To have the most vibrant, innovative, welcoming and inclusive arts spaces in the world, renowned for championing the imagination of artists, audiences and communities.
The Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A)
Location: London
Visitors: 3,525,700
Positioning:
Our mission is to be recognised as the world's leading museum of art, design and performance, and to enrich people's lives by promoting research, knowledge and enjoyment of the designed world to the widest possible audience.
The National Gallery
Location: London
URL: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/
Visitors: 3,203,451
Positioning:
The Gallery's aim is to care for the collection, to enhance it for future generations, primarily by acquisition, and to study it, while encouraging access to the pictures for the education and enjoyment of the widest possible public now and in the future.
Somerset House
Location: London
URL: https://www.somersethouse.org.uk/
Visitors: 3,074,736
Positioning:
As the home of cultural innovators, Somerset House is a site of origination, with a homegrown, multidisciplinary cultural programme offering alternative perspectives on the biggest issues of our time. We are a place of joy and discovery at the meet point of artistic and social innovation: a centre for ideas where everyone is invited to ‘Step Inside and Think Outside,’ regardless of age, professional stage or background.
Ours is a spirit of constant curiosity and new perspectives, characteristics both integral to our history and key to our future. From our historic site in the heart of London – a storied and celebrated network of neoclassical, Georgian-era buildings – we work globally across arts, creative, business, and non-profit sectors to nurture and foster new talent, methodologies and technologies. Our resident community of in-house innovators – creative startups, arts organisations, artists and makers – all contribute to our unique culture of innovation and invention.
Tower of London
Location: London
URL: https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/
Visitors: 2,902,385
Positioning:
Our Cause
We stir every spirit to inspire and provoke change.
Our work is guided by five principles:
Open - We believe everyone’s in. We create space for people to take part in places and ways they couldn’t or didn’t think to before.
Colourful - We lift everything beyond the ordinary into the wonderful, sharing our love of the Palaces, our expertise and personality with everyone.
Provocative - We embrace perspectives as diverse as the world itself, challenge preconceptions, set minds racing, and invite others to share their own opinions and stories.
Personal - We warmly welcome everyone as individuals, whatever they come for and however they meet us. We want every encounter to go above and beyond.
Always Evolving - We innovate and experiment, responding to the ever-changing world with fresh thinking and the courage to try new things.
Science Museum
Location: London
URL: https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/
Visitors: 2,827,242
Positioning:
We aim to inspire visitors with award-winning exhibitions, iconic objects and stories of incredible scientific achievement.
The Science Museum’s world-class collection forms an enduring record of scientific, technological and medical advancement from across the globe.
National Museum of Scotland
Location: Edinburgh
Visitors: 2,314,974
Positioning:
Our mission: To preserve, interpret and make accessible for all, the past and present of Scotland, other nations and cultures, and the natural world.
Our vision: Inspiring people: addressing the challenges of our age.
Kew Gardens
Location: London
URL: https://www.kew.org/
Visitors: 2,314,974
Positioning:
Our mission at Kew Gardens and Wakehurst is to understand and protect plants and fungi, for the wellbeing of people and the future of all life on Earth.
Earth is the only planet in the universe that we know for certain supports life.
Yet that life is in crisis.
The unprecedented rate of degradation means we are living through an age of extinction. We know the next decade is critical to reverse this trend.
Our aspiration is to end the extinction crisis and help create a world where nature is protected, valued and managed sustainably.
Royal Museums Greenwich
Location: London
Visitors: 2,255,753
Positioning:
Royal Museums Greenwich comprises the Royal Observatory, Cutty Sark, National Maritime Museum and Queen’s House. We are also home to The Prince Philip Maritime Collections Centre and the Caird Library and Archive.
Together we’re dedicated to enriching people’s understanding of the sea, the exploration of space, and Britain's role in world history.
National Galleries of Scotland: National
Location: Edinburgh
URL: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/
Visitors: 1,999,196
Positioning:
The National Galleries of Scotland cares for, develops, researches and displays the nation’s collection of Scottish and international fine art. With a lively and innovative programme of exhibitions, education and publications, there is something to engage, inform and inspire everyone.
Edinburgh Castle
Location: Edinburgh
URL: https://www.edinburghcastle.scot/
Visitors: 1,981,152
Positioning:
Defender of the Nation
Edinburgh Castle is one of the most exciting historic sites in Western Europe. Set in the heart of Scotland's dynamic capital city, it is sure to capture your imagination. The scenery will take your breath away.
Royal Albert Hall
Location: London
URL: https://www.royalalberthall.com/
Visitors: 1,753,371
Positioning:
We are home to the future-famous – working tirelessly to enable talent to thrive. We embrace change as well as tradition, inviting the new, the radical and the bold. We are open to all, a committed force for good, connecting people and communities. We are the Royal Albert Hall – the home of breathtaking moments and lasting memories, for everyone. Together, we create the amazing.
Westminster Abbey
Location: London
URL: https://www.westminster-abbey.org/
Visitors: 1,717,296
Positioning:
At Westminster Abbey, we see ourselves as a living symbol of faith at the heart of the nation. Our main purpose is to be a working inclusive church.
Our mission
To offer daily divine Worship to Almighty God and resource the Church in this vocation;
To serve the Sovereign;
To proclaim the Gospel to the nation and Commonwealth, celebrating the distinctive witness of the Christian faith and engaging with public life;
To provide a safe, welcoming and inspiring environment for all who came to the Abbey;
To care for the precious resources entrusted to us; our people, building, heritage and money.
Our values
As one we serve each other, our visitors and the wider world in all that do with:
Truthfulness
Integrity
Empathy
Excellence
National Portrait Gallery (NPG)
Location: London
Visitors: 1,578,065
Positioning:
Our vision
Lives inspired and society enriched through deeper connections with the nation’s stories
Our role
We bring to life the human stories that have shaped and are shaping our ever-changing history
The Barbican
Location: London
URL: https://www.barbican.org.uk/
Visitors: 1,541,194
Positioning:
Our purpose and values expresses why we do what we do. All of our activities are designed to help deliver our purpose:
We are London’s Creative Catalyst for arts, curiosity and enterprise.
We spark creative possibilities and transformation for artists, audiences and communities – to inspire, connect and provoke debate.
We are the place to be in this destination city, where everyone is welcome. Our impact is felt far outside our walls and ripples beyond the experiences we offer - locally, nationally and internationally.
Our values express how we work. We aim to live our values every day:
Inclusive, Sustainable, Connected, Daring, Joyful
St Paul’s Cathedral
Location: London
URL: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/
Visitors: 1,493,184
Positioning:
Our mission
St Paul’s Cathedral seeks to enable people in all their diversity to encounter the transforming presence of God in Jesus Christ.
Our purpose
The Cathedral is a community of worship and mission with a particular role in supporting the Bishop of London in her work across the diocese and beyond. We are above all a living Christian church, inspired by the love of God in Jesus Christ to offer welcome, prayer and learning.
Together, we are entrusted with the outstanding building and the iconic dome, the fruit of human skills offered to the glory of God. We will curate and fashion the building on behalf of current and future generations as a sign of hope for all.
We will bring together all our resources to make a tangible difference to people’s lives, shaping policy and attitudes to tackle social injustice, specifically in the area of young people’s mental health.
Reflections
Before sharing a few thoughts on the brands themselves, it’s worth acknowledging that branding is subjective. That may sound obvious, but it’s important context for what follows. What resonates with one person may not land with another.
This group of ALVA’s top twenty member institutions includes some of the most iconic and inspiring museums, galleries and heritage attractions in the world. They bring huge joy to millions of visitors each year. And yet, reading through how these organisations describe themselves, I was struck by how often the language feels restrained or cautious, perhaps shaped by internal priorities, governance structures or long-standing institutional cultures.
That said, a number of statements really stood out. I found the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens and Somerset House especially energising in the way they express their visions. Historic Royal Palaces’ phrase “we stir every spirit” is a beautifully crafted example of a positioning line that is both poetic and strategic.
One of branding’s core jobs is to differentiate and across this group of attractions, the signals of differentiation are sometimes subtle. While some statements speak clearly to audiences and visitors, others seem to be written more with internal or funder audiences in mind. That’s understandable, but it’s a reminder of the importance of brand messaging that’s outward-facing and emotionally resonant.
The same is true of visual identity. Many of the logos lean towards a refined, classical style often with serif-heavy wordmarks and where a logo is used it is usually quite restrained. It’s a look that communicates heritage and authority, but may also come across as austere or overly formal. This may be a deliberate contrast with the storytelling and energy found in commercial brands, like those developed by Merlin Entertainments.
Still, there are strong exceptions. Tate’s typographic identity remains a standout. It is distinctive, enduring and recognisable. Historic Royal Palaces and the Royal Albert Hall both use bold icons to communicate their offer. National Museums Scotland cleverly plays on the Scottish flag. And the National Portrait Gallery’s 2023 rebrand is a sophisticated design that has deservedly won awards.
Branding long standing institutions like those featured in this post involves trade-offs: for example tradition versus innovation and formality versus accessibility. This snapshot of ALVA attractions suggests many are navigating that balance in thoughtful ways and some are seizing the opportunity to lead with boldness and imagination.
