The British Library

Outline of project

With the aim of allowing management, staff and all others concerned to move forward focused on a single goal, an exchange of opinions was conducted to identify the core principles of the British Library, based on which brand reconstruction was carried out. The project was also designed to appeal to government and users, patrons and supporters, and to illustrate how the library plays a useful role, what it has to offer, and what value it creates in the context of the community, society, the nation and the wider world. The library does not offer visible, concrete commercial products, and it is difficult to represent the brand value of the intangible items which are the library’s services and activities. This is because the value that users derive from using the library is in turn intangible. Items which can be displayed visually include the logotype, colour system and typography. These should all have a consistent design that is easy to read and understand. To coincide with the introduction of these items, a changed awareness within the institution was promoted, which extended to focusing on how to appeal to the outside.

Background to project

Although the British Library was fully separated from the British Museum in 1997, it continued to lack a clear identity, relying on government grants and donations from patrons and supporters. The library experienced financial crisis a number of times, and in order to secure government funding and donations, needed to project into the public arena its mission and values. It also needed to orient itself as a library that was user-friendly for people of all ages and both genders.

Around the same time, the 44-year-old Tony Blair was elected Prime Minister in the general election of 1997. ‘Cool Britannia’ became the brand image of the nation in line with the government’s cultural policy of promoting a society rich in vitality, cultural diversity and forward-looking ideas. The phrase ‘Cool Britannia’ is thought to have been created in 1996, when the American journal Newsweek ran a feature presenting London as the ‘coolest’ capital city on earth. Under this cultural policy, Prime Minister Blair, who set up a ‘creative industry taskforce’, held consultations on the nation’s brand strategy and offered large-scale human, financial, and institutional support to areas such as the arts, culture and sport. As a result, leading British companies, overseas consulates and other institutions introduced branding strategies one after the other. The British Library likewise recognised the need to rebuild its position and chose the path of major reform.

First of all, under the guidance of a specialist external organisation, an exchange of opinions regarding the library’s overall situation was carried on within the library. With all staff members participating, it was confirmed that they understood what kind of work they were engaged in and what their mission was. However, Jill Finney, who led the exercise, noticed that links between the different functions were completely absent. A one-year programme was therefore introduced to identify core principles, with the aim of uniting all staff as a coherent body around an understanding of the British Library mission and values.

Vision

We play a leading role in the changing world of research information

• As the national library, we are a central resource in the UK research infrastructure, and underpin world-class UK research across all disciplines.
• The research information environment is undergoing rapid transformation. As a great library our evolution must keep pace, not only so we remain able to fulfil our users’ needs, but also to demonstrate the vision, innovation and leadership that helps the library network in the UK and overseas dapt in order to remain relevant to the new generation of digital adepts.

We exist for everyone who wants to do research – for academic, personal or commercial purposes

• We support the research chemist in a multinational drug company, the postgraduate completing a PhD in musicology, the entrepreneur wanting to expand the family business, the journalist filling in the background to a story, and the local historian researching medieval land use.
• Different types of research require different resources, with access provided in different ways. We tailor our services to support varied approaches.
• We promote ready access to our collection and expertise through integrated services which are increasingly time and space independent

We are a hybrid library – that is, our collection includes print, digital and other media – and we strive to provide access to all information formats seamlessly, through interconnecting services.

• The expectations of the Google generation require that we give people access to information wherever they are, whenever they need it. This is a tough requirement but an important goal to focus on.
• We also connect with the collections and expertise of others, and work in partnership to fulfil our users’ needs

In a world so rich in information, it is not appropriate or possible for us to hold everything. Much better for us to harness our strengths to others’ capabilities and co-ordinate joint approaches that serve the gamut of researchers’ needs.

• Where we are not best placed to help a researcher, we will connect them to the relevant resource.
• We collaborate with new and established organisations in the information environment, across the public and private sectors, with the goal of enhancing the research process and advancing knowledge.
• 研究する人たちを助けることができそうも無い場合は、関連のある情報ソースへ紹介する。
• 研究過程を強化し知識を向上させることを目標に、官民を超えた情報環境で新旧の機関と協力する。

Logotype

For the logotype, the main point was for it to be clear, legible and easily understood by everyone.
To this end, a simple and easy-to-understand typeface was designed. At first glance, the letters seem to have no special features, but the rounded edges of parts of the ‘A’, ‘Y’ and ‘R’ give it a friendly appearance and the bold type makes it easy to read. The words BRITISH and LIBRARY are positioned facing each other but are slightly staggered. The master logotype consists of white lettering on a red background. The background sometimes appears in black, but the size of the letters relative to the background is strictly regulated.

Colour system

The primary colour is red. As a general rule, the logotype consists of this striking colour with white lettering. The background may also be black. As secondary colours, apart from white and black, nine pastel and nine other colours were chosen. These are the only colours used in all catalogues, pamphlets, guides, etc.

Primary colour

Secondary colour

• British Library White
• British Library Black
• British Library Aqua
• British Library Dark Green
• British Library Bright Blue
• British Library Sky Blue
• British Library Dusky Pink
• British Library Purple
• British Library Light Yellow
• British Library Golden Yellow
• British Library Light Green
• British Library Apple Green
• British Library Stone
• British Library Olive
• British Library Mauve
• British Library Plum
• British Library Pale Grey
• British Library Library Steel
• British Library Pale Grey
• British Library Library Steel

Typeface

Syntax, a simple and easy-to-read typeface is used for the headlines, titles and covers of print media.
It comes in two weights, light and bold, bold is used for titles, etc. The greatest priority was that it should be easily legible for everyone.

As a basic principle, the above-mentioned secondary pastel colours are used with black lettering, while white lettering is used with the other colours.

Photographic images are an important design element in creating visual appeal. Here they are divided into three categories for brand expression (1) documents and items from the collection, (2) readers and the environment, (3) the world’s knowledge.

Images can have great impact. Here too, the emphasis was on items that would be easy to understand in practical terms as soon as users saw them. From among the vast collection of over 150 million items, those chosen were, for example, items with a strong familiarity, photographs of characters who users could relate to easily, and beautiful images. Since the library interfaces with many different kinds of people, it was not possible to establish a specific image style. The use of other elements such as logotype, colour, and typeface had to be the main focus and were chosen with consideration for the environment. Photographs of users and people who work at the library are also often used. These elements are deployed to effect on posters and brochures, catalogues and the website, the annual report, and in a range of other applications.

Angled

Stationery

Posters

The most effective way for the transformed library to communicate information to the world is through the website. The British Library website also uses a header design, with the logotype in the form of a tab. For people visiting the site from around the world, the easy-to-read and easy-to-follow layout is designed to match the idea of ‘helping to make people’s lives richer’. The annual report is also posted on the website and the library’s value as an institution is strongly promoted.

For an organisation like a library, which apart from shop merchandise and catalogues has no products for sale and instead offers services, there are a limited range of items that can communicate with the outside world. Brochures and catalogues are also important, but in terms of being accessible by anybody from anywhere, the website is the most important tool. With understated use of colour tones, the site is arranged with a quality feel, and presents in a coordinated and easily understandable manner, information on departments that were previously inconsistent.

Signage must be easy to understand while attracting visitors to exhibitions and other events. It also plays an important role in promoting the library brand.

Here too, various techniques have been devised for the display style of the logotype. To give a coherent feel to the design of signage for events, a tab-style display has been incorporated. Meanwhile, so that outdoor signage used to advertise exhibitions does not detract from the scenic environment, care has been taken to ensure the overall design blend in with the surroundings, for instance by producing signage partly on transparent materials.

The British Library measures its own value

Notable among the British Library’s activities in relation to brand management is the research study it commissioned to measure its own values. The study is an attempt to quantitatively measure how useful the British Library’s services – and very existence – are for the intellectual activities of people and, ultimately, to estimate the impact on the UK economy, and make widely known the outcome to people worldwide, as a way to accelerate the Library’s reform.

The significance of this undertaking is implied by the following words of the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, discussing the public financing of the British Library in a pre-budget briefing for the Cabinet: “The public have a right to know that they are getting value for money and therefore there are tough choices and hard decisions that have to be made… the something-for-nothing days are over in our public services and there can be no blank cheques.”

It is commonly acknowledged that qualitative measurement of values, by its very nature, fails to provide a comprehensive evaluation. Recognising that recent research by Nobel Prize winning economists etc. has made it possible to consistently and quantitatively measure the comprehensive benefits generated by public institutions and their programmes, the British Library commissioned such a study and disclosed its results and methodology.

The study concluded that, “Each year, the British Library generates value around 4.4 times the level of its public funding.”

What one should note in particular among these activities are the continuing efforts made by the British Library to objectively understand, not so much the numerical results i.e. how such funding multiplies, but more the level of values that the general public expects from a public institution, as well as the actual level of values it has delivered to them, and further, its commitment to widely disseminate the results to all stakeholders to earn their understanding and sympathy.

These innovative activities by a non-profit organisation shed important light on the future direction of identity management and strategic branding.

Public Relations and Annual Report 2003/2004

The British Library’s Annual Report for 2003/2004 gives clear-cut descriptions of this value measurement system, following the “easy-to-read, intelligent and attractive design expression” that complies with its Brand Design Guide. The result is an impressive account that succeeds in winning the attention and understanding of stakeholders.

Measuring our values

The size of the “consumer surplus” has been measured through surveys in which beneficiaries have been asked:

• How much they would be willing to pay for the Library’s continued existence.
• The minimum payment they would be willing to accept to forgo the Library’s existence.
• How much they invest in terms of time and money to make use of the Library.
• How much they would have to pay to use

alternatives to the Library, if such alternatives could be found.

This section also provides in plain language the profile of typical users of the British Library and the various specialists that make up its human resources.

The difference we make to business

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of consumer goods in the food, home and personal care markets. Last year Unilever spent 1,065 million euros on R&D, and registered 397 new patents. The British Library made an immense contribution to Unilever by providing them with access to more than 30,000 titles of research documents per year. Unilever’s Director of Laboratory affirms that, “information drives the innovation that makes our brands successful.”

Public Relations and Annual Report 2005/2006

The British Library Annual Report for 2005/2006 is a further enhancement over that for the previous fiscal year, both in its impressive text and attractive presentation. The Report, by laying down a redefinition of the Library’s mission, roles and services, places strong emphasis on its commitment to transform itself from an old library to a completely innovative one.

Instead of the rather bland and cryptic presentation typical of an annual report for a public institution, this Report has been compiled as a touchpoint by adopting an approachable yet intelligent style with a sense of esprit. By conveying the Library’s message in such an attractive way, it successfully produces a convincing picture of its mission and raison d’etre.

Raising standards

“We are setting standards in the public sector for our expertise, creativity and innovation”. — The website’s multi-media system ‘Turning the Pages’ has received five major website awards for its user-friendliness. The library also won a prize in the Public Accountability Awards sponsored by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The British Library is thus fulfilling its duty of accountability toward its donors.

Attracting substantial support

“Our supporters show great confidence in our work and vision. The national impact of their contribution is immense”. — In line with this conviction, an explanation is given of the sums donated by individuals and organisations, how the donations are collected, and what they are used for. Among other items featured is the story of how the last missing piece of a precious document was acquired, and presented in an appealing fashion through the use of photographs. Elsewhere, a photograph showing the archbishop Damianos of Sinai examining a copy of the Codex Sinaiticus illustrates how a partnership was formed with the British Library. Real-life examples such as these promote the new library activities to its supporters.

Redefining services and users

To make them ever more accessible for more and more people around the world, the library reviews its services, and investigates the ways in which its range of users has widened.

At the new Business and Intellectual Property Centre created in May 2004 in the new library building at Saint Pancras, systems have been put in place aimed at making it easier to start a new business in Britain. In an easy-to-follow presentation, its activities are described in concrete terms along with examples of the results achieved by users of its services.

Redefining the library collection

Here are explained what kind of items are stored in the library and how they are looked after and managed. The text explains for instance how the core collection of the famous British writer Arthur Conan-Doyle, author of The Lost World, was secured through bequests and purchases, or how the earliest edition of Shakespeare’s playscript can be compared with those of other editions. Examples of future plans are also given. Putting effort into this kind of presentation makes a favourable impression on users and reassures supporters.