MassArt Art Museum identity
The identity of Boston’s MAAM (opening early 2020) is communicated with a striking custom typeface named MAAM Sans (HEX Projects), paired with the more utilitarian Beatrice (Sharp Type). Smaller all caps accents use Stellar (Pangram Pangram). From Moth:
The MassArt Art Museum (MAAM) is a place to imagine the unimagined—to see what you haven’t seen before. MAAM is Boston’s newest museum, a place where visitors experience works by visionary artists at the forefront of contemporary art.
MAAM sought a bold brand that breaks the mold of the stark black-and-white motifs at other contemporary art institutions. During a visual workshop, the MAAM team reached consensus on what they desired in a logotype: “No serif, no sans serif.” No problem, right? We delivered with a logomark that has custom letter forms that are moving forward in space. And we partnered with Nick Sherman to craft a bespoke font that is used as the display face in the system.
MAAM is a kunsthalle—a non-collecting museum that is always changing, never static. The brand identity reflects the element of surprise and unexpectedness. It’s modular, flexible, and extends to exhibition branding and sub-brands.
One of the core values of MAAM is that it’s always free and open to the public. We embraced this tenet of inclusivity with an identity that is vibrant, welcoming, and engages a broader audience in the discussion of public art.
