Illustrator Peter Horridge has created a logo for The National Portrait Gallery in London based on a sketch by the gallery's first director.
Created ahead of The National Portrait Gallery's planned reopening later this year, following refurbishment, the logo was informed by Sir George Scharf's sketch from 1893, which was discovered in the archive.
The logo (right) is based on an 1893 sketch by the gallery's first director (left)
The bespoke logotype, which was hand-drawn by Horridge, features the entwined NPG initials of the gallery.
These initials can also be seen around the gallery in the metalwork of railings, carved in furniture and embedded in mosaics from the time the gallery first opened.
Historic versions of the NPG initials can be seen around the gallery in railings and mosaics The gallery's previous logo featured the full name National Portrait Gallery, whereas the updated logo is only the initials, entwined in a roundel.
Besides the new logo a contemporary typeface named NPG Serif was created by type foundry Monotype.
Working with designers Edit Brand Studio and brand strategists Boardroom Consulting, the National Portrait Gallery developed the brand strategy and visual identity to create "a new face" for the institution, ahead of the Jamie Fobert Architects-designed reopening in June 2023.
The new brand treatment features a fresh and bright colour palette, inspired by paint and materials in the building and archive.
A font was created for the gal...