The Griot Museum Rebrand
Graphic Design 3, Fall 2021
During the entire semester, I was to research, design, and rebrand a currently standing museum within St. Louis, MO. This rebrand contains a revised logo, brochure, poster, wayfinding signage, website, and brand standards.
During my research I found that The Griot Museum of Black History, while they have a newly rebranded website , still leaves much to be desired through their handouts and overall identity. The Griot has an interesting history of its own as well as houses a rich history within its doors. I used this inspiration to create a contemporary branding that bleeds into a digital space.
Current Website: here
Rebranded Website: here
During my research I found that The Griot Museum of Black History, while they have a newly rebranded website , still leaves much to be desired through their handouts and overall identity. The Griot has an interesting history of its own as well as houses a rich history within its doors. I used this inspiration to create a contemporary branding that bleeds into a digital space.
Current Website: here
Rebranded Website: here
Overview of brand guidelines and restrictions for the revised look of The Griot Museum of Black History.
When first arriving at the museum, I asked for any and all handouts or documentation they had for visitors. This resulted in receiving one 'scavenger hunt' for young students as well as a current collaborative event flyer. I noticed that they had no informational packets nor even a map of the floorplan. As I went through my tour I wrote down inspiring information on the
left page as well as a small map of the museum on the right for myself to reference later.
left page as well as a small map of the museum on the right for myself to reference later.
The first item to tackle before anything else is the logo. While I felt the current Sankofa logo was inspiring, I felt that there is more to draw from and relate to when using 'GRIOT'. Being both in the museum name and an actual person, a griot is a storyteller and teacher of West African culture and history, much like those curating the museum. Many iterations of the logo design were tossed around, ultimately landing on an original, geometric diamond shape mimicking traditional West African textile patterns.
The currently standing color scheme of royal purple and golden yellow are a stand out pairing. I chose to stick with this
palette due to other color iterations not quite fitting the bill for what I was wanting out of this rebrand. I chose Futura PT
as the secondary font due to its contrasting round geometry against the 'GRIOT' as well as it's standing history of being
a main font choice during the American Civil Rights Movement.
palette due to other color iterations not quite fitting the bill for what I was wanting out of this rebrand. I chose Futura PT
as the secondary font due to its contrasting round geometry against the 'GRIOT' as well as it's standing history of being
a main font choice during the American Civil Rights Movement.
Shown here are some of the layout and color studies for the poster side of the brochure. I worked around a square
grid system with many overlapping elements and photographs from the museum and its events.
grid system with many overlapping elements and photographs from the museum and its events.
Left: Four panel informational brochure of the museum containing membership and location information.
Right: Reverse side of brochure with a poster and link where to find a membership sign-up online.
Right: Reverse side of brochure with a poster and link where to find a membership sign-up online.
Progression left to right of in-house wayfinding. This specific panel is to be found near the front entrance of the museum.
All previous elements are also easily combined into a website for The Griot. The goal of the website is to be a digital museum and curation of community events hosted by the museum. This rebranded website can be found at the link here. Also included here is an example of an Instagram post from the museum's social media accout.
