Let's Talk About Museum Branding
STEP 2: DESIGN
Once you have a clear understanding of the exhibition’s “brand” or story, start sketching out some ideas of how to visualize that in your exhibition logo design. I make a point to always
start on paper to explore and brainstorm before getting on a computer.
start on paper to explore and brainstorm before getting on a computer.
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Shape
Start by thinking about the overall shape your exhibition logo will exist in. For a longer title, you may need to stack vertically to fit the entire design on your title wall. Even if your container
shape isn’t a literal line around your title, thinking about the whole logo design as one shape may help fitting issues with the rest of your lockup.
shape isn’t a literal line around your title, thinking about the whole logo design as one shape may help fitting issues with the rest of your lockup.
Knowing your overall shape will also inform how you introduce other visual elements to your mark.
Typography
Type is key because the title is the most important piece of your exhibition logo. Select a font that is readable and clear.
Varying weights, sizes, and fonts between main title and subtitle will establish hierarchy and highlight the main title. Pay attention to how letters fit together and don’t forget to kern, adjust spacing between letters, when needed.
Imagery
Additional imagery is not a requirement for an exhibition’s logo design, but it can be an effective way to convey tone or audience and add visual interest to the mark. If you do decide to introduce any imagery, keep it simple! Remember the title is the most important part of the logo design.
Colors
Always start designing your exhibition logo in black and white. Using the right color palette will take your deign from great to perfect, but if it doesn’t work in black and white as shapes and text, it doesn’t work.
When you do start developing color palette options, use the research you now have on tone and time period and connect with the exhibition’s curators. Chances are, a palette has already been approved for the physical space of the exhibition. Utilize that palette or build upon it for the
main logo design.
main logo design.
Don’t forget to consider all potential environments your logo will appear in when choosing colors. Will the lockup be viewed most often next to a hero image from the show? How can the addition of color or lack thereof highlight the logo design next to marketing images.
Design Software
If you constantly struggle with Photoshop or InDesign to create digital images for your museum, you are not alone. These programs are great for designers, but not exactly user-friendly (or budget-friendly) for all marketing professionals.
That's why, I’m sharing the best reviewed design alternatives to help you easily make graphics to promote your exhibits and events.
Any of the apps listed are worth their membership price if it can take graphic creation (and struggling with Photoshop) off your to-do list.
Examples of Museum Branding
The Whitney has one of the most distinct and recognizable brands due to its use of stark white and thin lines.
Statement from the Museum: "The [brand] is a distinctive and inventive graphic system that literally responds to art—a fundamental attribute of the Whitney since its founding in 1930. This dynamic identity, which the designers refer to as the “responsive ‘W’”, also illustrates the Museum’s ever-changing nature."
See the full brand case study from the design team at Experimental Jetset.
See more examples on my Museum Branding Examples Pinterest Board
Let's Talk About Museum Exhibition Branding
Just like it’s important to have a clear and recognizable style for your museum, it’s just as important to brand individual exhibitions and events. It's how your audience will recognize your efforts and messaging specific to the exhibit.
The visual footprint of your exhibition is most likely the first point of contact your audience will have to any show. They could see it on a poster, an ad in a community paper, or on the title wall in your space.
Having an exhibit brand can do quite a bit of heavy lifting in communicating what the exhibit is about and appealing to those that might be interested in coming. So, it’s important that it's clear and communicates the tone of the show.
Having a clear branding for your exhibition can jumpstart interest leading up to an opening. It can also communicate context for what the information or subject matter is and where it’s from. When used in the physical space itself, this branding can act as a guide to lead the viewer through the room and establish boundaries for the exhibition with signage or wall colors.
Examples of Exhibition Branding
This digital ad for the exhibit Right or Privilege? Alabama Women and the Vote shows the exhibit's main title design, two colors, and photo treatment. The exhibit explored the history of the 100+ years of voting rights activism in Alabama.
The brand was intentionally designed to combine old and new. A bold serif font was paired with a clean sans serif in the title. Colors in the campaign ranged from purples and golds used by the early twentieth-century suffragettes to the greens used during the 1960's Civil Rights initiatives. Colors were overlayed on black and white images to create a vibrant relationship between history and today.
See the full exhibit brand and more supplemental marketing material.
What Does It Look Like to Have an Exhibit Brand?
Let's imagine: Your museum is working hard to organize a new exhibition to open next year. You have all of your research and artifacts collected. Funds have been raised and final loans are being negotiated. Some of your biggest donors are on board for this, so you really want it to connect with your community and be a success.
Now think about how you want to spread the word. You’ll probably want to start early with teases about the show. Maybe run a few social media ads to raise engagement. Then you might put some posters up around town a couple months out and run a radio ad. An email blast to your members will invite them to RSVP to the opening. Postcards in the mail will reach snail-mail lovers.
And all of that is just leading up to the opening. The potential for your audience to hear about the exhibition from different sources is pretty big, and exactly what you need to drive interest. The best thing you can do is consider branding early on so that every message your audience gets is clear and consistent.
The Benefits of Museum Exhibit Branding
In the same way that it's important for your museum's brand to be engaging and recognizable, it's equally important for the exhibits and events in your space to also have a distinct voice.
A clear and consistent brand will:
1. Create a clear story for your audience to engage with
2. Consistently promote your museum in a professional way
3. Help spark interest by visually describing the tone and content of your exhibit
4. Save you time! In all of your marketing pieces, you will never need to start from scratch to create a new promotional graphic.
No matter what software you use, just remember to keep it simple and consistent. Next, see my best tips and tricks for exhibit logo design.