'Inspired' is a groundbreaking new visitor attraction to be built on a huge 545 acre site outside Swindon. Housing around 90% of the National Collections of the Science Museum, Inspired is a brand new kind of museum. School parties will sleepover amongst the collection and families will be invited to operate rockets, hovercrafts and cars which they design and build themselves.

The museum will deal with the nature of inspiration itself, revealing the dramatic stories of the pioneers that have shaped our modern world. It's an exciting project with a big remit and an important underlying message about sustainability and responsibility. Originally named the National Collections Centre, our first task was to deliver a name that could capture the nation's imagination. The proposition for Inspired was developed during a crucial stakeholder workshop involving key shapers of the project, including Intel and NPower.

The name was chosen from over 200 for its ability to bridge the gap between accessibility for the general public and credibility for the science audiences. And, like most names that take hold, it seems like the obvious choice in hindsight. The branding task was different to most because it was going to be some time before the project came to full fruition. We were effectively creating a brand to inform the marketing, advocacy and fundraising process. The aim of the brand and guidelines was to create a raft of visual and textual assets that could be configured into a coherent story about how the museum was going to feel and what it was going to be about – a practical ‘mood board’ that could be turned into anything from marketing communications, to exhibitions, to online media.

"The name and identity for Inspired has already achieved what we had hoped - it has gained real support with local stakeholders who are proud that an attraction of this stature will be on their doorstep. In addition to this, the scientific community have got right behind us, and it was vital that these key audiences are behind Inspired for it to succeed"

Nicola Tomlinson,
NMSI Communications