Mevis and van Deursen were hired to create a new identity system for the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in 2014. The identity system was created with the architecture of the building in mind as in their initial inquiries, they found the public connected the MCA to the structure itself. When examining the building closer, a repeating element found is the use of squares, thus a square became the basis for the MCA’s branding. Expanding beyond the idea of the square, the development of the typeface continues an exploration of building blocks in typographic form in a way that maintains interest while still remaining legible. The color scheme chosen for the identity is a predominately black and white treatment with blue and yellow accents.

Where this identity really shines is in its various careful expressions across multiple mediums. I really enjoyed the simple square logo with an emphasis on “hi” and “go” with yellow which serves to welcome visitors to the museum. This design work is excellent in its execution and a great example of branding and identity design as it carries distinctive stylistic nods to the museum itself, while still serving as a platform for the art installations and pieces it houses. This is one of the many brand identities Linda van Deursen has worked on along with Armand Mevis.

 

Bibliography

“MCA Chicago Identity.” MCA Stories, 2017, https://stories.mcachicago.org/2017/10/19/a-unique-typeface/.