art of the world, art of the people

Mingei International Museum: Rebrand Case Study
Graphic Design | Branding Project | Spring 2016

Group Project
Personal Contributions:
Secondary mark designs, marks and texts lockups, illustrations, photo manipulations

This project focuses on creating a branding identity for the Mingei International Museum that will attract more visitors in younger demographics, while simultaneously retaining the museum’s original appeal which distinguishes it from the other museums around it. One of the desired outcomes was to give the museum’s identity more of a "human touch" in order to better carry its message across, given that it is an organization dedicated to the display and preservation of human cultures. 

The new design draws direct, literal inspiration from the human touch: a fingerprint. Its rounded shape can also infer the shape of a globe, emphasizing the international nature of the works displayed and visually delivering on the Museum's mission statement: "art of the world, art of the people."

There are also variants of the main mark designated to the three affiliated sections of the Museum: the Mingei Cafe, the Sculpture Garden, and the Collector's Gallery. The close aesthetic designs help to maintain a unified theme, while the different shapes allude to the specific purpose and function of each section. Still, the marks were made to be abstract and open for interpretation: the Collector's Gallery mark can be seen as either a scarf, a shawl or a necklace, the Sculpture Garden icon might be seen as a sun or flower, and the Café could allude to either coffee or tea.

To invigorate the brand identity while maintaining some of the old elements, we chose a typeface that was already in use: Gotham. With its open geometric and masculine design, it puts forth a strong presence and creates clean contrast with the graphic, hand-rendered marks. This contrast helps fulfills two objectives: the reinforcing of the human touch as it applies to the artworks featured in the Mingei International Museum, and the museum's willfulness to move forward into more contemporary grounds. The contrast simultaneously celebrates the spirit of Mingei while embracing the idea of a future Mingei, one that is accessible to newer generations, so that we can keep its spirit alive.