Alistair Hardaker | Image: May Wild Studio's 'Coo Pigeon' (left), London Museum's logo (right)
May Wild Studio supported by ACID after claims raised that design has similarities to earlier work.
London Museum is facing claims its pigeon visual branding was copied from an earlier unrelated work.
The upcoming London Museum, formerly the Museum of London, revealed its new name and branding to the public in 2024, consisting of a pigeon sculpture and glittering ‘splat’.
The museum said its refreshed pigeon design was the result of consultations with focus groups of 500 Londoners and tourists, and subsequent creative work with Uncommon Creative Studio.
A pair of Manchester-based designers now say an earlier work of theirs has a “striking resemblance” to their own “Coo Pigeon” design, which was shared in galleries and on their instagram account stretching back to 2017.
May Wild Studio, supported by Anti Copying in Design (ACID), say the resemblance was first brought to their attention in summer 2024.
After making private approaches to both the museum and Uncommon Creative Studio, the husband and wife team say Uncommon declined in May 2025 to grant any attribution, stating the London Museum pigeon was in no way connected to May Wild’s design.
In a joint statement, the couple said: “To see the London Museum pigeon celebrated internationally without any acknowledgment of our work has been difficult. We’re seeking respectful acknowledgment, not conflict. Our hope has always been for open dialogue around attribution and visibility for independent creatives. This isn’t about blame — it’s about encouraging better practice in the sector.”
The pair are currently taking legal advice, said, Dids MacDonald OBE, Co-founder and Chair of Anti Copying in Design ( ACID).
MacDonald added: “They have done everything possible over many months to be reasonable and enter into positive discussions through their membership of Anti Copying in Design.
She added: “This case reflects wider challenges faced by independent designers whose long-established work later resembles high-profile commercial or public-sector projects.”
A spokesperson for London Museum said its visual identity “was created by Uncommon Creative Studio following a lengthy and detailed design process in collaboration with Londoners. We are confident it was developed entirely independently and do not accept that the pigeon and splat is a copy.”
Uncommon Creative Studio was approached for comment.
