At the end of 2023, four museums in the Netherlands – Tropenmuseum, Africa Museum, Museum Volkenkunde, and Wereldmuseum – came together under one name: Wereldmuseum. The idea was to unite these institutions into one large network as each site collectively explores what it means to be human and our connections with the world around us.

In order to create some unity and a more consolidated look and feel, Wereldmuseum enlisted the help of Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam’s design studio to update the branding. The aim for the identity was to “elevate what [the museums] stand for and highlight the inherent desire in all of us to make our mark”.

The first step was to create a logo that felt futureproof, so the team opted for a simple, almost handwritten WM mark. The logo is adaptable so it can be used easily both offline and digitally, and motion design is used to “reflect the diversity of the audience and different exhibition subject matters”.

Motion has been applied to other areas of the Wereldmuseum identity to convey a sense of joy and excitement, with these elements maximised in the museum’s digital OOH offerings.

The layering of type, imagery and bright colours further amplifies the message that the four museums are part of the name group. As such, different names peel onto one other to give “the impression that there is always more to see”. In static iterations of these graphics, the layers are communicated through the use of different brushstrokes, emulating the aesthetic of the WM logo.

wkams.com