In fall 2019, MoMA expanded its 53rd Street location with 40,000 sq. ft. of new gallery space that will showcase more of its unparalleled collection — balancing a diversity of backgrounds, time periods, media, and geographies — and put performance at the heart of the galleries.
As MoMA’s communication plans widen from exhibition-focused campaigns to a seasonal approach (Spring-Summer-Fall), MoMA approached Order to evolve and define a more modular, adaptable, and scalable design system for its advertising and related materials.
Collaborators
Order conducted an initial audit of brand assets and recommended streamlining the expression of the core MoMA mark to a single application.
The updated PS1 and Design Store logos complete the base elements of the system as brand extensions of MoMA’s singular institutional mark, which is now consistently embedded within each location’s identity.
MoMA Sans and the MoMA logo, whose updated versions were drawn by Christian Schwartz at Commercial Type→ in 2017, are refined interpretations of Franklin Gothic, the typeface used by the Museum since the 1930s. The Bold weight was recommended as the primary typographic voice of the Museum, to reinforce recognition of the MoMA logo even when that logo is not present.
A modular system was established that combines text, image (moving or still), and messaging into large compositions that can scale, move, and grow based on any media format. The result is a design system that can grow from a single event to the full scope of other seasonally-related exhibitions and activities.
These animated diagrams show the fundamental "moves" of the system.
Digital guidelines allow for quick reference and implementation of the system by everyone at MoMA, including partners, sponsors, and vendors.
Additional applications
All additional applications shown below are designed and produced by MoMA Design Studio→.
Materials photographed by Mari Juliano (MoMA), Leif Huron (MoMA Design Store), and Order.
Credits
Client leads: Rob Giampietro (Director of Design), Rob Baker (Director of Marketing and Creative Strategy), Rebecca Stokes (Director of Marketing Campaigns and Audience Engagement), Damien Saatdjian (Art Director)
Additional animation: Fionn Breen