FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
About Tate FAQs
Tate launched a new corporate identity in Spring 2000 to coincide with the launch of Tate Britain and Tate Modern. The new identity was designed by Wolff Olins and is used for all Tate material and consists of a range of Tate logos, a colour palette and a typeface.
Tate logos
There are a number of variations of the Tate logo, or mark. They range from
a standard logo to a blurred version, a faded version and a halftone version
(dots rather than smooth fading). The marks have no fixed size or position
and they are not connected with one particular Tate site. The Tate mark helps
to build a brand that is fresh and fluid, but has some consistency – one
Tate, with constantly changing expressions. Each individual gallery name
– Britain, Modern, Liverpool and St Ives – is then combined with the Tate
marks.
Tate colour palette
There are 18 colours in the palette, to reflect different moods and styles.
Colours are not specific to gallery locations, and all have been chosen for
their legibility. The palette is split into a series of strong colours (Orange,
Sky Blue, Lime Green, Scarlet, Violet, Aqua, Pink, Mustard and Black) and
a series of more subtle colours (Chocolate, Burgundy, Purple, Slate, Olive,
Stone, Aubergine, Steel and Moss). Non-Tate colours are occasionally used,
for example to fit in with the poster design for an exhibition.
Tate typeface
The special Tate typeface is clear, modern and distinctive. It comes in three
different weights for use in body copy and headings. The original Tate typeface
has now been replaced with a more angular, contemporary version.
The identity is carefully managed by the Tate Communications Department, working in collaboration with other Tate staff and with outside agencies. Its benefits are:
- character: giving people who may not have visited the galleries an idea of the Tate personality
- clarity: it is simple, clear and bold, for impact and accessibility
- connections: the identity links all the diverse activities that come under the Tate umbrella, so that successive items build a cumulative sense of Tate's diverse collection and programme. All materials help promote the organisation as well as communicating individual messages
- recognition: each item can quickly be identified as Tate's
- quality: an agreed high standard applies in many different contexts and materials, from advertising to the website, from merchandise to gallery uniforms
- practicality: the identity enables Tate to commission design efficiently and maintain a high level of output
- priorities: consistency and simplicity in design focuses attention on Tate's real focus of interest – works of art
In 2003 Tate won Cool Brand Leader for the second year running. This was awarded by the Brand Council. For more information about Tate's corporate identity visit the Wolff Olins website.
| 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Gallery | 1,330,937 | Tate Gallery | 885,168 | Tate Gallery | 1,219,102 | Tate Gallery | 1,270,925 |
| BHM* | 0 | BHM | 10,211 | BHM | 10,436 | BHM | 11,212 |
| Total | 1,330,937 | Total | 895, 379 | Total | 1,229,538 | Total | 1,282,137 |
| 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Gallery | 1,265,605 | Tate Gallery | 980,105 | Tate Gallery | 1,137,070 | Tate Gallery | 1,725,084 |
| BHM | 12,034 | BHM | 16,460 | BHM | 16,285 | BHM | 17,072 |
| Total | 1,277,639 | Total | 996,565 | Total | 1,153,355 | Total | 1,742,156 |
| 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Gallery | 1,581,467 | Tate Gallery | 1,234,281 | Tate Gallery | 1,562,431 | Tate Gallery | 1,816,421 |
| Tate Liverpool* | 490,942 | Tate Liverpool | 687,356 | Tate Liverpool | 626,279 | Tate Liverpool | 597,258 |
| BHM | 18,848 | BHM | 18,637 | BHM | 21,544 | BHM | 22,691 |
| Total | 2,091,267 | Total | 1,940,004 | Total | 2,210,254 | Total | 2,436,370 |
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Gallery | 1,575, 637 | Tate Gallery | 1,760,091 | Tate Gallery | 2,226,399 | Tate Gallery | 1,769,662 |
| Tate Liverpool | 550,735 | Tate Liverpool | 624,111 | Tate Liverpool | 539,678 | Tate Liverpool | 499,584 |
| N/A | N/A | St Ives* | 132,302 | St Ives | 181,044 | St Ives | 164,931 |
| BHM | 24,340 | BHM | 11,042 | BHM | 17,817 | BHM | 20,148 |
| Total | 2,150,711 | Total | 2,527,546 | Total | 2,964,938 | Total | 2,454,325 |
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tate Gallery | 2,203,001 | Tate Gallery | 1,757,735 | Tate Gallery | 2,180,665 | Tate Gallery | 1,822,427 |
| Tate Liverpool | 457,580 | Tate Liverpool | 131,662 | Tate Liverpool | 525,462 | Tate Liverpool | 681,670 |
| St Ives | 167,147 | St Ives | 174,809 | St Ives | 161,289 | St Ives | 122,693 |
| BHM | 21,939 | BHM | 22,066 | BHM | 29,342 | BHM | 27,750 |
| Total | 2,849,667 | Total | 2,086,272 | Total | 2,363,296 | Total | 2,654,540 |
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britain | 1,204,127 | Britain | 987,746 | Britain | 1,056,241 | Britain | 1,106,911 |
| Modern | 0 | Modern | 3,560,296 | Modern | 3,055,546 | Modern | 3,649,666 |
| Liverpool | 665,640 | Liverpool | 626,035 | Liverpool | 440,849 | Liverpool | 549,441 |
| St Ives | 132,302 | St Ives | 155,638 | St Ives | 166,377 | St Ives | 204,177 |
| BHM | 11,042 | BHM | 40,632 | BHM | 102,841 | BHM | 38,107 |
| Total | 2,527,526 | Total | 5,370,347 | Total | 4,821,854 | Total | 5,548,302 |
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 (Jan - March) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Britain | 1,088,005 | Britain | 1,729,692 | Britain | 1,597,359 | Britain | 468,922 |
| Modern | 4,441,225 | Modern | 3,902,017 | Modern | 4,895,073 | Modern | 1,285,466 |
| Liverpool | 586,917 | Liverpool | 666,258 | Liverpool | 556,976 | Liverpool | 121,936 |
| St Ives | 184,192 | St Ives | 180,771 | St Ives | 193,700 | St Ives | 30,375 |
| BHM | 45,372 | BHM | 43,502 | BHM | 46,220 | BHM | 4,851 |
| Total | 6,345,711 | Total | 6,522,240 | Total | 7,289,328 | Total | 1,884,550 |
Figures are based on attendance during public opening hours and public events from 1 January – 31 December.
Facts & Figures
- The Barbara Hepworth Museum (BHM) has been administered by Tate since 1980.
- Tate Liverpool opened in 1988.
- Tate St Ives opened In June 1993. A joint ticket for the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Tate St Ives became available from then.
- The Tate Gallery at Millbank was re-launched as Tate Britain on 24 March 2000.
- Tate Modern opened 12 May 2000; attendance figures for this year run from 12 May to 31 December.

