Chester Beatty Museum

Crafting a distinct identity, signage, and website for one of Ireland’s greatest museums.

The Chester Beatty (Previously the Chester Beatty Library) is a museum that contains treasures from the great cultures and religions of the world. It’s a place where cultures engage through art, a chance to explore new worlds. Our first action was to lose the word Library; it’s not simply a library; it’s much more.

Creating the Identity

The collection encompasses many traditions, including Ethiopian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, Japanese, and European Orthodox. Despite their diversity, these traditions have a common historical thread: they were passed down through generations from master to apprentice. This heritage played a key role in shaping the new identity. Through our analysis of the collection, we discovered recurring geometric shapes evident in feudal Japanese art, Islamic mosaics, and Coptic designs, which inspired the design of their new logo.

An orientation board in the Chester Beatty Lobby. The sign is made out of high quality ply wood with black screen printed letters and Copper insets for the logo and to mark what floor you are on.
A detail from the Chester Beatty’s Ruzbihan Qur’an
A detail from the Chester Beatty’s Ruzbihan Qur’an
Chester Beatty Tote bag. The bag has 8 groups of 8 different coloured logos.
Cover of a booklet showing Biblical Papyrus
Three Chester Beatty business Cards lined up against a wall

Website

Our brief was to build a beautiful, welcoming, informative and accessible website. Workshops with staff and end users helped us define what the site needed to do for visitors and the museum. We worked with the museum’s in-house photography department to create images that would work particularly well for the website.

Usability was fundamental to the success of this project. It’s designed with the end user in mind right from the beginning, offering a seamless experience for viewing upcoming events, booking tickets, and becoming a member of the Chester Beatty, all within a single platform.

Ultimately, the website reflected the stunning collection; it reduced clutter and prioritised key content.

Visit chesterbeatty.ie

Mobile version of the What's On homepage of the Chester Beatty website.
A test caption
Desktop version of the Arts of the Book exhibition page. It shows a highlight an ornate bible cover along with other various content cards.

Wayfinding & Signage

We designed the wayfinding system to integrate seamlessly with the building’s architecture.

The museum’s wayfinding and signage are crafted from wood and copper, explicitly chosen to pay tribute to Chester Beatty’s successful career in copper mining, where he amassed his wealth.

We created a small set of icons to ensure consistency across various platforms. We use these icons consistently across the wayfinding system, in print materials and on the website. The primary focus of the wayfinding design is to enhance the user experience. For instance, we strategically placed signs to extend from walls and at corners, ensuring they are apparent and easily accessible to all visitors.

Close up of copper number 0 on a wayfinding board.
An orientation board in the Chester Beatty Lobby.
High quality wooden sign featuring the figure of a woman for the toilets in the Chester Beatty Museum.
Closeup an orientation board in the Chester Beatty Lobby. The sign is made out of high quality ply wood with black screen printed letters and Copper insets for the logo and to mark what floor you are on.
A digital totem at the Chester Beatty Museum showing photos from the Siam exhibition.
External wayfinding outside the Chester Beatty beside Dublin Castle.
Bus shelter advertising the Chester Beatty Museum.

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