Project Overview
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. To mark this important milestone, we are commissioning a design that captures the spirit, identity, and vibrancy of the Gallery and Museum. This design will be used across a range of merchandise available in our Visitor Centre shop, providing visitors with a joyful, lasting reminder of their experience with us.

Objectives
Celebrate Rugby Art Gallery and Museum in a way that is inclusive, engaging and visually striking.
Produce a flexible design that works across a wide range of retail merchandise.
Produce a design that is not exclusively an ‘Anniversary product’.
Create something that feels celebratory and unique to Rugby, while remaining accessible and appealing to a wide audience.
Create a product that has longevity.

Design Requirements
The design must be fun, accessible, and visually engaging.
It should celebrate the identity of Rugby Art Gallery and Museum, whether through referencing the building, key collections, local heritage, or a more abstract interpretation of the Gallery’s role in the community.
The final artwork must be adaptable for use on multiple products including (but not limited to):
Mugs
Tote bags
Prints
Postcards
Other shop merchandise
The design may be illustrative, graphic, typographic or a combination, but should maintain strong visual cohesion across formats.
The artist should consider how the design works at different scales and on both flat and curved surfaces.

Audience
Our visitors range from local families and school groups to art lovers and tourists. The merchandise should have broad appeal, while maintaining a strong sense of identity rooted in Rugby.

Deliverables
A high-resolution digital artwork suitable for print across a range of merchandise formats (vector and raster formats as appropriate).
A short statement outlining the inspiration behind the design and how it reflects Rugby Art Gallery and Museum.
A short artist statement to allow us to promote the product and the artist, across all marketing platforms.

Timeline
Brief issued: 9th April
Submission deadline for proposals: 9:00 am on Monday 28th April 2025
Artist appointed by: Friday 2nd May 2025
Final design delivery deadline: Thursday 29th May 2025

Budget
A £1000 fee will be paid for the commissioned work. This includes artist time, development of the final artwork and provision of production-ready files.

Usage Rights: 
A licensing agreement between the artist and Rugby Borough Council will be drawn up to confirm appointment and use of artwork.

How to Apply
Please submit the following by 9:00 am on Monday 28th April 2025:
A short proposal or sketch outlining your approach to the brief
Examples of previous relevant work or a link to your portfolio
A short biography or artist statement
Submissions should be emailed to: ragm@rugby.gov.uk