Natural History Museum | Brand Book

Brand Presentation

More than a quarter of a billion visitors have walked through the doors. The Museum welcomes over 7M+ million visitors annually and is the most visited cultural and indoor attraction in the UK. Entry is free to the public

Originally envisaged as a ‘cathedral to nature’ the building represents nature’s past, present and future.

All profits from our licensing activities are returned to the Museum to support its mission

More than ncludes specimens from three centuries of the world’s most important scientific expeditions

The blue whale suspended from the ceiling is a powerful symbol of hope collection.

leading scientific, global and cultural institution with over 350 scientists who contribute to the fight to save the planet Our mission is to create advocates for the planet

Brand Influence

The Collection

The world’s largest scientifically important natural history collection

More than 80 millions specimens - a quarter of the world’s natural history specimens!

The world’s finest collection of natural history literature, artwork and manuscripts

We house the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaur fossils

We have more type specimens than anyone else

Our oldest specimen is 4.5 billion years old!

Our longest specimen is 25.2 metres long

- our blue whale skeleton

A new research and digitisation centre due to be completed by 2027 will house about a third of the Museum’s collection (around 28 million specimens)

This will be the largest move of natural history specimens globally

Home of the Dinosaurs

Today, we house the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaurs fossils, and our experts continue to make ground-breaking discoveries through new excavations on international dig sites and research on the collection. There is much we can learn from studying dinosaurs as we face many of the dramatic environmental changes, they did hundreds of millions of years ago.

The Museum’s founder coined the term ‘dinosaur’ in 1841

We are home to the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaur fossils

Two brand new dinosaurs in our newly renovated, award-winning gardens

Exhibitions and Touring

The Museum has been generating and touring innovative exhibitions for decades. Our world-renowned exhibitions are seen by millions across the world.

Fixing Our Broken Planet is a permanent free gallery that explores how humans have transformed the natural world. Since opening in April 2025, it has welcomed over 2 million visitors.

Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an international showcase of the very best in nature photography. In 2025 the competition celebrated its 61st year.

2026 Exhibitions

Touring

The Natural History Museum has been touring its ground-breaking exhibitions since 1990. Our worldrenowned displays are seen by millions of visitors all over the world. They include dinosaur exhibitions, the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and the very best of our unique and varied collections.

Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur and Fixing

Our Broken Planet are two new additions to the touring portfolio.

Our Story with David Attenborough is an epic cinematic experience that allows visitors to witness the birth of life on our planet and see it evolve over billions of years.

Jurassic Oceans: Monsters of the Deep.

Our latest exhibition, that opens in May 2026, takes visitors on a thrilling deep dive back in time into ancient waters to meet the legends of Earth’s prehistoric oceans. From the pliosaur – a gigantic gnarly toothed creature – to the ichthyosaur, a majestic and speedy dolphin-like predator, not to mention the mighty mosasaur – the T. rex of the sea.

We tour all over the world, in more than 30 countries on 6 continents

In 2025, we were the UK’s most-visited attraction welcoming more then 7.1M visitors

Visitor numbers smashed previous records for 11 of the 12 months (Apr- Dec) …which is a 13% Increase on 2024 figures

Most popular visitor attraction in the UK

Visitors (2025)

Visitor attraction for families

Top 10

Most visited museums in the world

Engagement

Yoga at the Museum

• Predominantly female

• Young Professionals

• ABC1 millennial audience

Dino Snores for Kids

• 13 sleepovers per year

• For kids aged 7-11 years

• 95% from the UK

Silent Disco

• 850 guests, monthly event

• Sells out 4 months in advance

• 18-30 age audience

Dino Snores for Adults

• ABC1 millennial audience

• 300 guests per event, 7 events per year

• Typically sells out

Adventure Babies

• 75 babies per event

• Sells out 4 months in advance

• Occurs fortnightly

Seasonal Events

• Predominantly female

• Young Professionals

• ABC1 millennial audience

A free event for neurodivergent children and their families to explore the Museum without the hustle and bustle.

Licensing Programme

Overview

An award-winning, fast-growing licensing programme with a two-pronged approach to the programme (Children/Adults) and a strong focus on sustainability

Strong brand presence in homewares, stationery, gifting, apparel & accessories across multiple retailers

Successful and growing LBE programme including Dinosaur theatre show, afternoon tea, Dinosaur VR experience and themed hotel room

8 x 2026 B&LLA nominations including for Inspired Innovation Product or Range for Live Theatre show, Best Sustainability Award and Best Licensed Heritage Brand. Winners of Best Brand Licensed Paper Products Range with Ohh Deer

Finalists in the Best Art, Design or Museum Brand category in the 2026 Licensing International Excellence Awards

New licensees include Lucy & Yak, Little Green Radicals, Zipster, Robert Frederick, Nemesis Now, Park Plaza and Sandbox VR

Ambitious focus on international markets with new agencies and licensees signed in key territories including the US, China and South Korea

Licensing Programme

Adults

The aim of the adult licensing programme is to develop trend relevant products that have been inspired by nature. Drawing on our vast historical archives, we harness these assets within a contemporary context to develop collections that appeal to design enthusiasts and nature lovers in multiple markets.

At the 2026 B&LLAs, the Museum won the Best Brand Licensed Paper Products Award for its greeting card collection with Ohh Deer

Style guides have been developed specifically to cater for the adult market, with a focus on popular areas of interest for this demographic which include botanicals, minerals, marine life and nostalgia for the Museum.

Our approach to the licensing programme is to build a story and narrative around each collection. Providing context to a design can significantly increase the appeal to the consumer while simultaneously strengthening awareness of the Museum’s wider work. Combined with a strong design execution, the story behind a collection is what provides a point of difference at retail

Licensing Programme

The aim of the children’s licensing programme is to develop product ranges that inspire a love of the natural world. Working closely with licensees and retailers, the programme centres around encouraging future generations of scientists and nature lovers through fun and learning.

At the APAs 2025, the Museum's Discovery Crew

Clever Pocket Tonie won a Bronze Award in the 'Little Ears' category, as voted for by kids.

Style guides have been developed specifically to cater for this age group, focused on topics that strongly resonate with a younger audience, with dinosaurs, insects and oceans leading the charge

A key part of our approach to the children’s programme is our commitment to gender neutrality. This means that we consider each design to ensure that we are being inclusive and to avoid playing into traditional stereotypes and bias. We aim to offer products that appeal to a wide audience by providing more variety at retail.

International Licensing Programme

The Museum has an ambitious international licensing programme having already signed agents in the US, China and South Korea and with product launching as early as May 2026.

A major publishing programme launching with CCPPG in China in 2026

Multiple deals in the works for the US & Canada kicking off with an apparel deal with Philcos launching in 2026

Significant stationery collection launching with major online book retailer Aladin in South Korea in May 2026

Sustainability

Before Life

Minimise the carbon footprint of products as much as possible – source locally wherever possible

Minimise the amount of material for product and packaging to save space & increase shipping efficiency

Use responsible and ethical suppliers (SEDEX approved or equivalent. NHM may request audits).

Use sustainable/recycled materials, e.g.: Free range and fairtrade for foods

FSC accredited wood and paper

Plush to be filled with RPET

Avoid plastic appliques

Shelf Life

Avoid use of plastic packaging where possible (excluding where necessary e.g., food hygiene)

Minimise packaging as much as possible

Include clear instructions on pack on how to recycle after use

Adopt simple formats to avoid waste e.g., nonshaped swing tags

After Life

All packaging materials should be recyclable. Avoid use of techniques that hinder this e.g., laminated/gloss finishes

Include suggestions for second use on packaging e.g., cut-out activities for children

Highlight suggestions for product reuse e.g., charity shop, upcycling, repair, repurpose

Make product and packaging as easy to recycle as possible

Creative Assets

Kids

Our children's style guides are toolkits of flexible graphics with a focus on a variety of subjects from exploration, mammals, oceans, insects, natural sciences and much more. Each guide has been purposely created with product application in mind

Creative Assets

Dinosaurs

Blast from the Past style guide

Our dinosaur assets include ‘palaeontologist-approved’ illustrations and multiple style guides featuring the most popular prehistoric species including T-rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and much more

Beasts from Bygone

Creative Assets

Adults

Our adult style guides feature prints and graphics inspired by the natural world with a focus on subjects including botanicals, the Museum’s architecture, oceans, insects, minerals and more

Creative Assets Image Bank

Our image bank contains a wealth of visual assets that have been selected as the most commercial from the Museum’s archives.

With over 10,000 images to choose from, key categories include:

• Dinosaurs

• Mammals

• Insects

• Botanicals

• Minerals

• Birds

• Marine Life

• Museum Architecture

Thank you