History Heroes
History Heroes character redesign and illustration.
The History Heroes are a set of superhero-inspired characters, used for the Museum of Chelmsford to engage a younger audience. There are eight History Heroes, each from a different period in time, with their own unique ability and a connection to the museum itself.
The Objective
To inspire younger generations to experience the museum in fun adventurous ways. With the introduction of some new characters, it was the ideal time for the Museum of Chelmsford to revisit their beloved History Heroes.
For a generation where Superhero culture is rife, these revised heroes needed to look more “Marvel”, and in return, significantly contribute to the brand equity of the museum.
Making a hero more heroic
The concept of the existing heroes remained untouched. The execution however, required more dynamism, bold colour and strong forms to achieve that “Marvel” look and feel.
Fortunately, during his younger years, our very own Head of Design spent his youth drawing comic book characters, inspired by both Marvel and Japanese Anime.
With his sketchpad and pencils under one arm, and a book called ‘How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way” under the other, he gladly stepped up to the challenge.
Many sketches were created, exploring better poses, uniforms and enhanced powers. Once a rough sketch was agreed upon for each character, it was scanned and edited digitally as a vector file. This allowed for an efficient and consistent flat style of colouring and shading that could be easily altered, and scaled, without loss of quality.
What value do bespoke characters bring to a destination brand?
Because these specific Heroes are exclusive to the museum, their visual anchors and the associated visitor experiences remain uniquely bound to the destination.
The personalities and visual identity form a core part of the museum’s offering. Younger audiences in particular retain memories of approachable personas far longer than traditional logos or information panels.
These characters connect physical exhibition spaces, outdoor advertising and digital applications while enabling reward-based engagement.
The outcome is a trusted brand that leaves a lasting impression, driving increased footfall through social sharing, word-of-mouth recommendations and repeat visits.
