We’ve all witnessed rebrand backlash in the news. The Philadelphia Museum of Art endured a wild flip-flop earlier this year that serves as a point of reference for “what not to do”. The Stadtmuseum Berlin recently rebranded as the Berlin Museum. With a mission to represent the entire city, the Berlin Museum did something quite unique for such a large organization — there's not one visual identity — rather many.
Keep refreshing the Berlin Museum page and you’ll get a different logo every time — breaking the rules with exactly eighty-one different logos. The wordmarks change from san-serif bold typefaces, to wobbly, dotted, and perforated text options. There isn’t one wordmark that rules them all, and although this is the umbrella branding for the museum’s various assets, there is something special here. It says that the Berlin Museum is here. And here. But also over there — allowing for an identity that transforms and morphs as needed while always remaining contemporary. The visual identity feels like it’s part of a family — the different typefaces becoming sister logos or even cousin logos — related, but different.
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
Breaking the rules with exactly 81 different logos, the Berlin Museum lays claim to an entire city’s creative culture at once.
It’s a smart move and while this can’t work for every brand, it was a clever solution for a brand that wants to be understood not as a ‘single’ identity, rather a network of cultural assets. Cities and entire communities are not monocultures. So in this instance, the Berlin Museum's moves have been viewed favorably, and show a sophisticated understanding that the entire city is a canvas, an arts campus and an incubator for its many creatives. It’s not the strategy every district, downtown or city should take, however in this instance, its rotating, flashing refresh of colors, styles, typography and vibes are perceived as a holistic embrace, and a love note to a city that continues to reinvent itself on the world stage.