Creating a New Home for Play, Creativity and Discovery in London
The London Children’s Museum is a well-known and well-loved cultural and educational institution in Southwestern Ontario. For 45 years, families have been connecting to play and to each other through the Museum, its interactive exhibits, and engaging staff and today, this work is more important than ever.
With their exciting move to their new home at 100 Kellogg, there were several opportunities for the organization to re-emerge and re-introduce itself to its many careholders, including children and families, donors, partners, media and the general public, all in support of their critical fundraising goals.
In partnership with the London Children's Museum team, sagecomm dove into discovery and positioning to develop a clear marketing communications strategy supported by a potent suite of messaging and visual approach that was then translated across a variety of mediums through a tactical plan. With a clear focus on building awareness, understanding and action through digital campaigns, advertising, earned media, donor engagement and more, the strategy effectively broke through to help the organization bridge its ongoing post-pandemic fundraising need and prepare to open their doors to the public in January 2025.
As part of this ambitious project, London Children’s Museum knew that their visual brand needed to evolve to match the innovative and forward-looking design of their new space. sagecomm undertook an extensive brand development process, including brand narrative development, visual brand design, material creation, and wayfinding signage within the new museum.
The new brand for the London Children’s Museum is inspired by and anchored in play, curiosity and discovery. The core blue acts as a grounding colour to the more vibrant supporting palette. The tones of the palette range in vibrancy and speak There was a focus on making the logo timeless, honoring the museum’s history and evolution, and balancing both structure and playfulness in the design. The collection of little stars are shown in various evolutionary stages (the small spark, the larger four-point twinkle and finally the large six-point star), and bring both wonder and discovery to the logo, and their playful interaction with one another represents children playing and growing together.
Colour has been and will always be so important to the London Children's Museum as a vital part of childhood discovery. The core blue acts as a grounding colour to the more vibrant supporting palette. The tones of the palette range in vibrancy and speak to qualities such as growth, creativity, happiness, trust, stability, well-being, enthusiasm, confidence, calm, and friendship. Additionally, colour plays an important role in differentiate between each of the seven unique exhibits within the museum, allowing each to have distinction, but together as a brand, maintain visual cohesion.
A series of custom illustrations, representing each exhibit in the new London Children’s Museum, were created as part of the brand, and bring imagination to life throughout all the assets with their organic, playful nature.
To support wayfinding in the new museum, and to incorporate the new brand throughout the space, sagecomm also created a series of directional signs and accessible signage that help children and families find the exhibits and spaces they need. Brand elements, including the logo and illustrations, were incorporated throughout key museum spaces, including the entranceway doors, to create a welcoming space for the over 150,000 visitors that are expected each year at the new London Children’s Museum.
Services Delivered
- Research & Discovery
- Positioning & Key Message Development
- Content Development & Copywriting
- Brand Development
- Photography/Videography
- Material Design
- Wayfinding Design
- Media Relations
- Digital Ad Campaign
Sector
Featured work samples
I truly can't say enough about our partnership with sagecomm as we made our monumental move to 100 Kellogg. From day one, their team brought a powerful mix of strategic clarity, creative brilliance, and steady, thoughtful project management that made us feel supported, understood, and genuinely cared for every step of the way. The sagecomm team really listened, providing a safe environment to share our thoughts and guiding us through a time of transition and change. At the same time, they motivated us to think creatively and consistently provided results that went beyond our expectations.
They didn’t just help us communicate — they helped us tell our story in a way that reflected who we are and what we stand for. They took the time to deeply understand our vision and values, and their work consistently reflected that insight, whether it was through beautifully crafted design elements or big-picture communications strategy.
The attention to detail was incredible — from the smallest illustrations in our visual brand to the big moments that rallied the community and brought our vision to life. It was clear that every element was intentional. We’re so grateful for the time, energy, and heart sagecomm poured into this project. They were more than a hired contractor — they were true partners in one of the most significant moments in our organization’s history.
Exhibit Sub-Brand System
Each exhibit has its own “sub-brand” within the greater brand system. This includes each exhibit having its own custom set of illustrations, sub-brand palette, and exhibit logos. Each exhibit logos keeps the LCM acronym, while pulling in an illustrative icon to help visually identify and distinguish between each exhibit in a playful yet clear way.
A Playful & Flexible Brand System
The brand system is one intentionally designed to be flexible and allow for creativity. Exhibit assets and core brand assets can be represented through illustration, varying typefaces to provide character and voice to copy, as well as through photography interacting seamlessly with these playful elements.
Wayfinding Signage
Signage for the London Children’s Museum was designed with intention to bring the core brand into the space that was not only playful and cohesive, but also prioritized accessibility for visitors. A suite of signage was created including door wraps, hanging signage, interior and exterior washroom signage, and more!
