From National Gallery of British Art to the Powerhouse Tate of Today: Briefly Tracing the Brand Narrative and Logo of Tate Galleries
By Marc Smith
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The British Nation Receives Funding and Art from Henry Tate
The industrialist Henry Tate, who made his wealth as a sugar refiner and patent holder of sugar cubes, offers funds and his art collection to the British nation on condition that a gallery be established, one which was to be dedicated to British art. Image: "Sir Henry Tate" (1897) by Sir Hubert Von Herkomer (http://bit.ly/2c4foI2). -
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Attempting to Summarise Tate
Presently, and ever since its inception upon the donation of funds and artwork from Sir Henry Tate, Tate's brand and visual identity, as well as its associated initiatives and sites, have demonstrated considerable resilience, adaptation and innovation throughout the span of its narrative. Tate's gallery spaces have been the subject of much discussion, but their architectural constructions have over the years come to express, trace and illustrate the development of Tate's brand identity. -
Tate is Founded as the 'National Gallery of British Art'
Since opening its doors for the first time as the 'National Gallery of British Art', Tate Britain would in time receive seven substantial building extensions, stretching from 1906 – 2001. These extensions were undertaken as a means of meeting the demands of a growing collection and keeping up with the demands of audiences and public education. Image: Floor plans detailing the expansion of Tate Gallery, presently known as Tate Britain, from 1897-2001 (http://bit.ly/2c4gtjh). -
Tate Renamed 'National Gallery, Millbank'
(Event Year: 1920; Exact Day: Unknown) Shortening the name from 'National Gallery of British Art' to 'National Gallery, Millbank' provides a more concise brand name and geographical demarcation. Image: Invitation to the opening of the gallery's new Modern Foreign Gallery in 1926. Note the early version of the Tate logo visible upon the invitation (http://bit.ly/2cqJMjr). -
Tate is Officially Renamed 'Tate Gallery'
(Event Year: 1932; Exact Day: Unknown) Since its establishment in 1897, the 'National Gallery, Millbank' is officially renamed 'Tate Gallery'. Prior to the renaming, the gallery was already commonly being referred to as 'The Tate'. Image: Stationary donning the Tate letterhead (date unkown). As one will notice, the logos belonging to Tate undergo a number of transformations across the years (http://bit.ly/2c07a5j). -
Tate Logo (1979)
(Event Year: 1979; Exact Day: Unknown) Image: An example of stationary printed with a Tate letterhead in 1979 detailing Tate's logo during this period (http://bit.ly/2bQOhyk). -
Nicholas Serota is Appointed Tate Director
(Event Year: 1988; Exact Day: Unknown) Nicholas Serota appointed as the new director of Tate. Under the helm of Serota, Tate as a whole will come to experience many successful programmes, extensions and developments. Image: Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate (1988 - Present)(http://bit.ly/1EWufcG). -
Tate Gallery Liverpool Opens
(Event Year: 1988; Exact Day: Unknown) Image: Photograph of Tate Liverpool site. The establishment of the site sought to increase access to and knowledge of art to areas outside of central London (http://bit.ly/2bJ8jfr). -
Tate Logo (unknown-1980s)
(Please note that the exact dates of implementation and redesign of the logo depicted is presently unknown, but it is ascribed to being in use until the 1980s. This is evidenced by a report written by Alan Bowness, Tate Director 1980-1988, from 17 - 22 June 1998) Image: Stationary illustrating an earlier example of the Tate logo (http://bit.ly/2bC6qlQ). -
Tate Logo (1990s)
(Please note that the exact dates of implementation and redesign of the logo depicted is presently unknown, but it is ascribed to the period of the 1990s.) Image: Tate logo as printed upon stationary during the 1990s. Notice the simplification and modernisation of the logo in relation to earlier logos and letterheads (http://bit.ly/2bQOH84). -
Tate Announces Plans to Establish a Museum Dedicated to International Modern and Contemporary Art in London
(Event Year: 1992; Exact Day: Unknown) Project Summary -
Tate Gallery St Ives Opens
(Event Year: 1993; Exact Day: Unknown) Image: Photograph of Tate St Ives site. The establishment of the site sought to increase access to and knowledge of art to areas outside of central London. Additionally, St Ives was identified as an area where many notable artists produced art, hence its cultural and artistic significance (http://bit.ly/2bBFQLv). -
Bankside Power Station is Selected as the Site of Tate Modern
(Event Year: 1994; Exact Day: Unknown) Choosing Bankside Power Station, originally designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, as the site for Tate Modern was met with both skepticism and excitement, as many thought a new building for modern and contemporary art to be more suitable. Image: Bankside Power Station under construction in October 1999 (http://bit.ly/2bBDFrp). -
Herzog & de Meuron Announced as the Architects of Tate Modern
Announced to the press at the site of the old Bankside Power Station that the Swiss firm of architects, Herzog & de Meuron, have been awarded the contract of redesigning the power station. Image: Photograph of Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron. Ironically, Herzog and de Meuron nearly did not enter the competition for the design of Tate Modern, with many thinking that Tate would select one of Britain's 'star' architects instead (http://bit.ly/2ceBtG3). -
Tate Modern Opens and Rebranding of Tate Galleries
The year 2000 marks a pivotal moment for Tate. Not only does its latest gallery, Tate Modern, open its doors to the public, but a substantial rebranding of Tate and its sites is implimented. The name of each site was simplified and are now known today as Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. Image: Photograph of Tate Modern brightly lit up in 2000, emphasising many of the alterations made to the original building (http://bit.ly/2bBTrT5). -
Wolff Olins Rebrand Tate
Rebranding Tate and its sites required designing a new brand and visual identity, a task assigned to the design firm Wolff Olins. Galvanised under the concept of "look again,think again" and aiming to unite the various sites under one brand image, Wolff Olins designed "a range of logos that moved in out of focus, suggesting the dynamic nature of Tate - always changing but always recognizable." Image: The rebranded Tate logos as of 2000 (http://bit.ly/2c0DLrZ). -
Tate Anounces Tate Modern Extension
(Event Year: 2009; Exact Day: Unknown) Again working with Herzog & de Meuron, Tate undertakes the Tate Modern Project in order to extend Tate Modern’s available exhibition space, by means of re-purposing the redundant oil tanks located below the site, dubbed The Tanks, as well as by adding an iconic building extension, dubbed Switch House, above ground to the south of the present gallery. Project Summary Image: Tate Modern extension rendering (http://bit.ly/1e9Ag8j). -
Tate Rolls-Out Refreshed Brand and Visual Identity
(Event Year: 2016; Exact Day: Unknown) Tate commences roll-out of its refreshed brand and visual identity in anticipation of the new Tate Modern extension in June 2016. Revamped by design agency North, a single, simplified logo emerges. In 2000 Wolff Olins produced over 75 Tate logos in various colours and degrees of focus, whilst the latest logo by North is reduced to one dynamic design. Image: Simplified and present design of Tate logo (http://bit.ly/2bSaKj4). -
New Tate Modern Opens
The new Tate Modern opens its doors to the public, with a dedicated gallery to the collection ARTIST ROOMS – a collection comprising of more than 1600 artworks and jointly owned by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland. The dedicated gallery was inaugurated with an exhibition on Louise Bourgeois, a notable highlight and strong drawing-card. Project Summary Image: Rendering of the new Tate Modern extension as viewed from the West (http://bit.ly/2bCoV6s). -
Tate St Ives Extension Opens
Tate St Ives is currently undergoing substantial alterations in order to increase its exhibition capabilities and meet the growing demands of audiences and public education. Project Summary Image: An image of what Tate St Ives will look like in 2017 once current construction is completed (http://bit.ly/2252b2D).
