On Tuesday, May 1, Mystic Seaport launched its new brand identity, strengthening its roots as an organization devoted to maintaining a strong connection to the American maritime experience while also moving confidently forward as a major 21st century cultural institution.
As part of the rebranding, Mystic Seaport Museum unveiled a redesigned logo, website, and large-scale ad campaign on Tuesday, kicked off with the unveiling of new signage along Greenmanville Avenue. The launch is a key element of the Museum’s strategic plan to position itself as a more modern and relevant cultural center that continues to inspire an enduring connection to the American maritime experience.
The organization’s new logo, in the color nautical orange, presents a sharp, bold visual identity in a shape that references the planks of a ship with the cascade of stacked vertical text representing waves approaching shore.
“Today’s audiences value the community that a museum creates,” said Steve White, president of Mystic Seaport Museum. “By restoring the word ‘Museum’ to our name, we celebrate and showcase history while making a space for people to talk and think about issues that matter to them. Museums are contemporary centers of community and discourse and we are updating our identity to reflect that role.”
Mystic Seaport Museum’s new tagline, “Radical Craft. Get Into It.” will anchor its new advertising campaign debuting this month. It is an action-oriented statement that shines the light on the Museum as a place that celebrates immersive experiences, craft and the evolution of seafaring innovation that was radical in its time. The ad campaign will feature the outstanding imagery created by the Museum’s photography staff.
“This new direction signifies the commitment of the Museum’s Board of Trustees to connect with, and inspire, the broadest possible communities, and to communicate the freshness and relevance of the Museum’s programs and exhibitions,” said J. Barclay Collins, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Mystic Seaport Museum.
Carbone Smolan Agency, an independent design-led branding agency that has worked with organizations such as Musee de Louvre, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, and Christies served as the agency of record for the Museum’s rebrand and launch.
