This Brand Identity Proposal was written and produced by Diéresis Brand Consulting Agency in Denver for the Denver Art Museum. All designs presented in this document are owned by Diéresis unless stated otherwise.
Exploring the Current Logo
Currently, the Denver Art Museum (DAM) logo uses two typographies: Akzidenz Grotesk or a close relative of the Sans-Serif family; similar typographies include Helvetica and Swis721. For the second typography, Trump Mediäeval, an Old-Type Serif typeface or a very close relative. In the word ART, the typography is modified to remove the serif at the capline of the letter R. This is also repeated with the serif in the base of the letter A.
After studying the current logo and similar brands, we believe the Denver Art Museum could benefit greatly from a rework of the current branding. A new branding that stands out without the use of typographies.
The Denver Art Museum has presented exhibitions that span from Baroque, Impressionism and Expressionism to more modern art movements like Minimalism and Interactive Installations, for this reason, we believe a modern logo fits the identity of the Denver Art Museum.
Introduction
There are many structures in Denver that stand out, but none can “wow” visitors like the Denver Art Museum. At Diéresis we love museums, but we rarely visit a museum where the architecture itself is what has us talking for hours after we left.
The Denver Art Museum is easily recognizable to visitors and locals alike. Few brands have this luxury, like the Guggenheim Museum and the Sydney Opera House to name a few. They both have something in common-their famous architecture defines their brand identity. We believe the Denver Art Museum belongs on that list.
In our proposed version of the logo for the Denver Art Museum, we simplified the typographies, using only one. We wanted to offset the bold lines and shapes used in the logo by using a thin typeface. For this reason, we decided that the font ChaletComprimé MilanSixty complemented what we wanted to achieve.
We intend to keep the fundamentals of Libeskind’s design by keeping the abstract peaks and valleys of the mountain range. The interior design of the Denver Art Museum equally matches this aesthetic and the proposed logo takes all these aspects into account.
Dissection
As a Colorado resident, there are a few things you are just bound to see every day. Traffic jams on I-25, the Rockies and the Colorado flag. At Diéresis we try to avoid the use of flags in our designs, but on rare occasions, we come across a way to incorporate it in a way that is subtle, yet present. The colors have been modified slightly to make the logo unique, and while it pays homage quietly to the flag, it stands proudly on its own without relying on the design elements of the flag.
The most prominent element of the design is, of course, the memorable architecture of the Denver Art Museum designed by Daniel Libeskind. We wanted to incorporate the architectural design in a way that it was recognizable while maintaining a degree of minimalism.
While the standard logo uses a dark blue and yellow with subtle shades of gray, we wanted to give this logo additional functionality. The yellow part of the logo serves as a blank canvas to display a sneak peek of current and upcoming exhibitions.
We envisioned this logo to be as bold as Diego Rivera, yet as playful as Yayoi Kusama. With the attitude of Gustave Courbet, yet flexible like Wassily Kandinsky.
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