Cultural Museums exhibit art and artifacts that put history into context, illuminate scientific theory, and help visitors understand and celebrate human creativity. What unifies these institutions is the desire to make complex ideas tangible to their diverse audiences. At Studio Blue, we use design thinking and innovative tools to help our cultural clients devise clear lines of communication.
Chicago Humanities Festival,
2015 Fall Festival, Citizens
The Chicago Humanities Festival originated the idea of an annual gathering of the curious to engage with leading thinkers to reflect on and explore a single theme regarding the state of our world. This approach is now a model for nationwide festivals that promote the humanities dialogue and engagement. The organization now presents more than 140 programs throughout the year to an audience of 40,000+.
Chicago Humanities Festival,
2014 Fall Festival, Journeys
Taking “Journeys” into a year-long campaign allowed us to explore a broad topic and narrow its focus into more of a mood or tone than a declaration of what a journey is. Working with festival leadership we came to know that the use of a theme is at once an organizing principle and also an enigma. Our role was to intrigue new, as well as loyal audience members, to want to the turn the pages of the program guide and begin a personal journey.
The Art Institute of Chicago
Environmental, Interactive, Publication
More than 130 years after its founding, the Art Institute of Chicago ranks among the world’s great museums interpreting, conserving, and collecting works of art that inform, educate and inspire visitors. To continue to lead, the Art Institute worked with Studio Blue to upgrade its web experience. We designed the site’s homepage to showcase mission via prominent display of art and exhibition details, reconfigured the site’s structure and navigation, enhanced social media tools, and developed a unique mobile theme.
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum
Brand, Communication program, Interactive, Mission, vision, values
To share his passion for how buildings and objects are made, Richard Driehaus established a museum housed in a Gilded Age mansion. The Museum is a premier example of historic preservation, offering visitors an experience of how the prevailing design philosophies of the period were interpreted by artists, architects and designers during the closing decades of the 19th century in Chicago.
Terra Foundation for American Art
With a move away from geographic landmark locations, the Terra Foundation for American Art was in a more flexible position to impact the field of American art on an international stage, a position that required a clear and consistent visual communication strategy. Studio Blue was engaged to provide design solution and benchmarks for a communication system.
