Branding Style Guide - Museum of the African Diaspora

This project is a full branding style guide created for the Museum of the African Diaspora to help expand and unify their visual identity. It includes logo variations, a custom color palette, typography choices, and a mood board to capture the museum's tone and story. I also designed print and digital materials like posters, tickets, ads, and social media posts, as well as website layouts. Everything was designed to reflect the museum’s mission and to keep the brand consistent across all platforms, from in-person events to online experiences. Collateral materials such as museum stationery, store branding, exhibition posters, digital advertisements (electronic posters, billboards, banners), and exhibition tickets were designed to maintain consistency across platforms. The project also features web assets including a landing page and internal pages, along with Instagram post templates to ensure brand continuity across social media. This style guide serves as a foundational tool for MoAD’s growing digital and physical presence.

This branding campaign for the Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) would target African American and African diaspora communities, art enthusiasts, young adults, tourists, and educators. It would highlight MoAD’s role in showcasing contemporary art and the global influence of African culture, fostering connection and dialogue. It is also representative of the Bay Area, including local artists and community members. This museum is also an educational institution and would be responsible for youth education.
The process started in the Visual Design Principles course with choosing a local museum. I then designed several different logos before choosing the final one. After designing and refining the logo, I created a color palette and chose the typography. I also designed a website and stationary in the Visual Design Principles course. During this expansion, I created a mood board and began brainstorming products, ads, and materials for the museum’s brand. I decided to make a fake exhibition and build an exhibition based campaign including a poster, banners, a billboard, an Instagram, and tickets. Along with the exhibition specific pieces, I also created products that would be sold in the museum store that represented the MoAD. Finally, I refined the pieces that I had already created to match the overall brand.
Design Problems: I had some issues making the branding cohesive. Since I began this project last year, I didn’t remember all the inspiration I pulled from and how I wanted the brand to be displayed. I also had a hard time refining the color palette just based on indecisiveness.

Design Solutions: To solve the problem of a cohesive brand identity, I created a mood board and started from scratch besides the logo and the typography. After completing the majority of the expansion, I returned to the stationary and website I created last year and modified them both slightly to reflect the updated brand. The issue with the color palette was my indecisive nature. I eventually made up my mind and finalized the palette.
Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Branding Kit

The Museum of the African Diaspora (MoAD) in San Francisco is a contemporary art museum dedicated to showcasing the art, culture, and history of the African diaspora. This branding kit was thoughtfully designed to reflect the museum’s mission, values, and cultural focus.

Client
MoAD ( Museum of the African Diaspora)

Year
October 2024