Guggenheim Sans At The Heart
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has launched a unified visual identity that connects its range of museums across New York, Venice, Bilbao, and the forthcoming Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. Created in collaboration with the London UK office of Pentagram, the visual identity reinforces the Guggenheim’s position as a global cultural institution while celebrating the unique local character of each of its museums. The new identity will be rolled out across all Guggenheim locations and platforms throughout 2025.
At the heart is Guggenheim Sans, a custom-designed, open-source typeface that includes both Latin and Arabic character sets, reflecting the institution’s museum locations and its commitment to accessibility and international dialogue. The new typeface is freely available for public use, embodying the Guggenheim’s values of openness and cultural exchange.
The updated identity builds on the Guggenheim’s legacy of extraordinary art, architecture, and design while looking toward its future, particularly as it prepares to expand its presence to the Gulf Region with Guggenheim Abu Dhabi. The new Arabic character set was developed in collaboration with Lebanon-based studio Debakir and Kuwait-based studio TB.D.
The Guggenheim Sans typeface builds off an existing open-source font and incorporates shared type characteristics from fonts previously used across the Guggenheim constellation. These include the original Guggenheim font created in 1996 by Hoefler & Co, which referenced architectural lettering on the exterior of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Guggenheim New York.
Pentagram officials explain that “… the new Guggenheim logo is simple and authoritative and builds on the brand’s clear heritage of geometric typography. Strong, modern and impactful, it is designed for a global audience while firmly rooted in the Museum’s history.
Based on an abstract form of the letter G, the new symbol is a singular and powerful mark that consolidates the different locations in a single unit, ‘holding’ the constellation together and reflecting the Museum’s new unified spirit. The symbol provides a simple, iconic sign-off, echoing the architectural form of the museums, and providing brand recognition across a wide range of varied touchpoints.
The symbol can also appear as an outline, and beyond the formal version, a series of free-form iterations of the mark can also appear as animations and static images allowing the museums to have a more expressive side to their visual language.”
As part of the visual identity launch, the Guggenheim has created a capsule collection of apparel, accessories and gifts available in the Guggenheim New York shop and coming soon to Bilbao, Venice Abu Dhabi, and online. The collection is the result of a collaboration with Dots & Roots, a woman-led design and production firm based in northern Spain that uses locally-sourced materials and makers.
Creative credits go to Partner Harry Pearce as well as Project team Johannes Grimmond, Hyo Lee, Tiffany Fenner, Sarah Krebietke, Ben Rawlinson-Plant and the Guggenheim Global Communications Team. Collaborators include Jane Wentworth (Positioning strategy), Tom Baber (Western typeface), TB.D. Studio/Fahad Al-Hunaif (Arabic typeface), and Debakir Studio/Khajag Apelian (Arabic typeface).
“I’m thrilled to introduce this new chapter in our visual story, one that captures the essence of who we are – four museums in four great cities on three continents, each in a distinctive architectural home where anyone can encounter and learn with outstanding works of modern and contemporary art,” said Mariët Westermann, Director and CEO of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “Together, we form a global constellation united in creating and sharing transformative experiences of art and architecture. This refreshed, elegant and dynamic identity expresses that shared vision while honoring the unique spirit of each Guggenheim museum.”
“In developing this new visual identity, we sought to create a system as dynamic and interconnected as our museums themselves,” said Tina Vaz, Deputy Director, Chief Brand and Communications Officer. “The decision to make Guggenheim Sans available as an open-source typeface, complete with an Arabic character set, reflects our commitment to accessibility and cultural dialogue. This is more than a typeface – it’s a tool for creative expression that we’re sharing with the world, inviting others to become part of the Guggenheim’s story.”
