Founded as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences in 1933, The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, VA has a significant collection of more than 30,000 items, including one of the great glass collections in the United States. The majority of the museum’s collection comes from Walter P. Chrysler, Jr., an avid fine art and glasswork collector who donated thousands of works to the museum in 1971. Ahead of a planned expansion of the Perry Glass Studio by Work Program Architects, Pentagram has designed a new visual identity that unifies the 260,000 square foot Chrysler Museum and the expanding family of institutional offerings on its campus.

The Chrysler Museum is known for its commitment to accessibility and hospitality, with free admission and a unique docent program that ensures a comfortable experience for visitors. The design team reflected this in the logo, constructing the letterforms of the ‘CM’ monogram from the shape of the archways that welcome visitors at the foundation of the museum’s facade. The simplicity of the identity system makes it ownable, and its flexibility allows the artwork in the Museum’s expansive collection to shine within the container of the Chrysler Museum graphics. 

The Pentagram team also designed a pattern based on the geometry of the wordmark to be used across exhibition advertisements, merchandise, stationery and print material. 

Another key element of the redesign was the introduction of a warm orange color exclusively for use in the glass studio graphics. With a consistent logo and design system used between the Museum and the glass studio, the fiery Glass Studio Orange acts as a differentiating component without compromising brand unity. 

The new identity system is one component of an initiative from the museum to cohesively expand its educational and programmatic offerings. The glass studio expansion is set to open this spring with three hot shops, multiple classrooms, and a 200-seat performance space.