Shock: New Logo Symbol for Museum of London

Pigeons are considered pests and annoying animals that bring dirt, to the point that the residents of the German town of Limburg an der Lahn voted in a popular referendum to exterminate the entire pigeon population, about a thousand birds.

At the same time, for the London Museum, which chose the pigeon that poops “gold” as its new logo, doves “are a symbol that unites the city, a link between the past and the present.”

“London Museum” is the new name for the ancient Museum of London that tells the story of the English capital. Little known to tourists, the museum was closed for restoration work in 2022 and is scheduled to reopen in 2026. The new logo is part of an extensive “marketing” operation designed to attract the attention of potential visitors.

The controversial logo was chosen based on a survey of 500 people, mostly residents of the British capital. Nils Leonard, co-founder of the creative studio and organizer of the survey, said the goal was to find “a new symbol not only for the museum, but for the capital itself,” and after “in-depth” research, they realized that the answer was always before their very eyes.

According to Sharon Ament, director of the London Museum, “a good logo gets people talking, and it’s understandable that a logo with a pigeon and its golden poop also sparks discussion.” Ament hopes the pigeon on the logo will be “a humble and impartial observer of London life.”

Immediately after the presentation, the logo was at the center of controversy in the local press and social media: for some it was a “brilliant” idea, and for others it was “incomprehensible.”

It is not known how much was paid for the new logo, but the museum explained that the “rebranding” is part of a list of restoration and redevelopment works on which more than 420 million pounds (about half a billion euros) has already been spent. This partly explains why the pigeon poop on the logo is gold.