National Is Back In The National Gallery

Visualizing A New Mission In A Time Of Change

The National Gallery of Art in Washington DC has reopened with new mission and vision statements, values and strategic priorities focusing on serving the nation and engaging diverse audiences. The effort has been led by Director Kaywin Feldman and staff, and facilitated by AEA Consulting, with branding by Pentagram that communicates the Gallery’s commitment to be “Of the nation and for all the people.” Feldman says that the new logo and tagline – “National Gallery of Art: Of the nation. For the people.” — helps advance her primary mandate when hired, i.e., to “put the national back in the National Gallery of Art.”

Energized by the monumental architecture of the National Gallery’s campus, Pentagram, whose branding and design efforts were led by partner Michael Gericke, sought to unite the classic and the modern. The emphasis on “National” in the logo reflects the promise. The typeface — Empirica — was designed by Frere-Jones to have gravitas and to complement fonts already carved into the museum’s marble walls.

Most conspicuous in the redesign are the use of bright colors, which provide a new and stark contrast to the muted palette of subtle grays and off-whites used since 1941. The palette – with playfully dubbed colors such as Honesty Blue, Inspiration Red, Curiosity Yellow and Generosity Green – represents the institution that the National Gallery aspires to be: more energetic, more vibrant and, apropos of the moment, more inclusive in its audience and more diverse in its collection and staffing.