Branding Design

Branding Design Brief
Title: Museo Italo Americano
Category: Editorial Design / Print & Digital

Target Audience:
Adults ages 30–70 with an interest in Italian American culture, art, and heritage, including local residents, tourists, and members of the Italian American community.

Background:
The Museo Italo Americano was the first museum in the United States devoted exclusively to Italian and Italian-American art and culture. Established in 1978, the Museo Italo Americano is a non-profit institution governed by a Board of Directors.

Design Problem:
Redesign the existing brand identity, including the logo and visual language, and develop a cohesive advertising campaign to drive engagement and increase visitor traffic to the museum.

Mockups

Design Solution: The final brand identity for the Museo Italo Americano honors the museum’s heritage while presenting a bold, contemporary look that appeals to a modern audience. The redesigned logo is a strong, graphic mark that integrates the initials "MIA" in a clean, angular design, paired with a sleek sans-serif wordmark. The color palette draws directly from the Italian flag—green (#008C45), white (#F4F5F0), and red (#CD212A) — and is grounded by a refined set of supporting tones: deep black (#000000) and a rich navy (#274A6D). These colors evoke a sense of tradition, sophistication, and cultural pride. The typographic system is anchored by New Science, a geometric sans-serif typeface that feels modern yet structured. It complements the logo’s form and supports clear, accessible communication across print and digital materials. Together, the design elements were applied consistently across branding touchpoints — including stationery, web pages, packaging, billboard design, and identification cards — to build a cohesive, recognizable identity that reflects the museum’s role as both a cultural institution and a community landmark.

Software Used:

Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Iillustrator

Process



Design Process:
I began by sketching fifty different logo concepts, exploring a range of visual styles and typographic treatments. From there, I refined three distinct directions and continued iterating until I landed on a contemporary mark that evokes the Italian flag while feeling clean and modern. I then built out the brand system, including logo variations, a typographic palette, and a cohesive color scheme. This foundation supported the design of additional branding and marketing materials, including web pages, stationery, packaging, an outdoor billboard, and a staff ID card.