OTTAWA, ON, June 23, 2021 /CNW/ - Inviting, alive, open,
dimensional—words that define the new core principles of the
National Gallery of Canada (NGC)
and underpin its new brand image, publicly unveiled today.
Comprised of a new digitally animated logo and new corporate
colours, the national museum's new visual identity reflects the
strategic behavioural changes that the Gallery has set out to
embody and that are integral to its mission.
The National Gallery of Canada's new visual identity is centred on a
word that emerged from a conversation with Algonquin Elders from
the unceded territory upon which the Gallery is located.
"It was crucial for us to develop a new brand rooted in
Indigenous ways of knowing and being," said Dr. Sasha Suda,
Director and CEO of the National Gallery of Canada. "Our new visual identity is
inspired by the Anishinaabemowin word Ankosé, which means
Everything is connected. This powerful word invites us to
find hope and joy in difference and encourages us to seek out the
perspectives and knowledge of those who are not around our table.
It moves us from a Western worldview of rigid geometry, to a circle
that draws on Indigenous teachings. Our new brand anchors the
Gallery's core values while reinforcing our desire to serve all
Canadians equally."
At the invitation of the Gallery, the Elders acted as an
advisory committee and guided the Gallery through the process of
developing its first Strategic Plan, which was launched last month.
The board included Elder Annie Smith St.
Georges and Elder Albert
Dumont, a poet, storyteller, speaker, and an Algonquin
traditional teacher, both members of the Kitigan Zibi
Anishinabeg First Nation, Maniwaki,
Quebec; Elder Gracie
Ratt, an Anishinaabe cultural educator and artisan
from the community of Kitiganik
(Lac-Rapide/Lac-Barrière); and Elder Simon Brascoupé,
Anishinabeg/Haudenausanee—Bear Clan, also a member of
Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, Maniwaki, Quebec, and Adjunct
Research Professor at Carleton University and
Trent University.
Research and development
The rebrand is the culmination of four months of research,
consultation, deep thinking, and design under the leadership of
Rosemary Thompson, NGC's Vice
President of Corporate/Public Affairs and Marketing, whose team
worked with AREA 17, an agency by founding partner Canadian Kemp
Attwood, with staff in Brooklyn,
NY, and Paris, France.
"We wanted a new visual identity that would ground the
institution forever to the land, water and sky, to the beauty of
the visual arts and to each other," said Rosemary Thompson, Vice President,
Corporate/Public Affairs and Marketing at the National Gallery of
Canada. "When we started this
project, it was important to walk through the Gallery to find a
circle because it is such an important symbol for Indigenous
Peoples. When you walk into the Scotiabank Great Hall you notice
the floor is circular, and if you look up and out at the sky, you
see the incredible glass mosaic that Israeli-Canadian architect
Moshe Safdie designed, and you know
this place is the heart of the Gallery. AREA 17's creative
leadership listened, and created something dynamic, ever-changing,
inspired by the circle, the drum, beadwork, the northern lights,
the Gallery's remarkable art and architecture, and the more than
300 interviews that we did."
"Water connects all of us. The oxygen brought forth in the wind
connects us. We are connected to the dependency of all things
brought forth by sacred Mother Earth… Whenever we see a sunrise, we
see the greatest of masterpieces … and in the mountains and in the
trees, we see sculptures—grand sculptures that inspire our artists.
Always appreciate the power of the beauty of our relations, all of
our relations; how beautiful this world is. Ankosé—Everything is
connected," says Elder Albert Dumont—poet, storyteller,
speaker, and an Algonquin traditional teacher and member of Kitigan
Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation, Maniwaki,
Quebec—in a poem he wrote for the Gallery to illustrate
the meaning of Ankosé. Elder Dumont narrates this poem in
this video .
"As a Canadian myself, this has been a deeply humbling
relationship. From working with Indigenous Elders to conversations
with the National Gallery of Canada's Head of Transformation and Inclusion,
Angela Cassie, our collaboration has
been so much more than a rebrand. The new brand is a call to action
to recognize the limitless connections that exist beyond the frame
of the artwork, the museum, the physical building, the canon, and
the central narrative. To see that everything is connected. With
the principles, identity, and language as a foundation, we look
forward as the National Gallery of Canada lives into its purpose
through behaviour that drives positive change," said Kemp
Attwood, Founding Partner and CCO at AREA 17.
This video produced by AREA 17 shows the new branding and
animated logo.
Over a period of several weeks, the Gallery conducted internal
and external surveys. First with its staff and management, then
with members of the Gallery, leaders of other museums and cultural
organizations in Canada, tourism
partners, and the public. Throughout this phase, consultations were
also held with Elders and Knowledge Keepers of the Algonquin
Nation, Strategic Consultants NOBL and Diversity Consultants
Elevate—both of which assisted the Gallery in developing its
Strategic Plan. In addition, the Gallery conducted focus groups
with young Indigenous artists and artists from diverse backgrounds.
In all, more than 300 people contributed to this research process
on its public image, which enabled the Gallery to clearly identify
perceptions of the national museum institution.
Strategic changes
During its consultation and reflection phases, the Gallery
identified three strategic behavioural changes that are part of its
new brand and that it has already begun to implement:
- Commitment to decolonization. From a brand perspective,
committing to decolonization means the Gallery will recognize the
land, sky and water around us, and really look at what that means.
This brings us back to Ankosé, and this understanding that
everything is connected. It's about moving from a Western
perspective, embodied for so long, to Indigenous ways of knowing
and being. The National Gallery of Canada will continue to work with Indigenous
Peoples to deepen its understanding of what decolonization and
reconciliation really mean.
- Rethinking the way its curators and educators tell the
stories behind the art, thinking beyond the frame. It's about
telling the stories of the past in a new way—bringing in diverse
voices and perspectives, and providing a context around the art to
really amplify new voices and decentre the narrative. The Gallery
put this strategy into action by taking a groundbreaking curatorial
approach to its exhibition Rembrandt in Amsterdam. Creativity and Competition,
incorporating the perspectives of Indigenous and Black curators and
art historians, and by incorporating contemporary artworks by
Indigenous and Black artists from the national collection.
- Activating community belonging. During the consultation
and research phase, the Gallery heard many times that it was
considered to be elite and a glass fortress. A place to which
people are not always drawn, or a place where they cannot identify
themselves with. To correct this, the Gallery is working to make
people feel more welcome in its space. This particular change is
about inviting people into its building, and to create a sense of
belonging. It means the Gallery will work harder to reach out into
the community; to create memorable, dynamic experiences and
memories for its visitors and staff.
From square to circle
The new logo is animated and moves from a square to a circle
through nine (9) secondary symbols that were created through the
shapes of the mother brand. As art is ever evolving, so too is the
National Gallery of Canada's new
visual identity.
On the Gallery's website and digital platforms, the logo will
come to life by digitally animating itself. To many viewers the
animation is like a kaleidoscope, ever-changing and symbolizing a
new dynamism at the Gallery. The animation is designed to show an
organization that is reaching out to the world, and also inviting
people inside the Gallery to create a sense of belonging.
The typeface (font) adopted for the National Gallery of
Canada's visual identity is
Founders Grotesk. Universal and contemporary, it is both familiar
and unique, geometric yet circular. It is light and assertive
without needing to be bold or heavy.
From red to a palette of colours
The red that has been associated with the National Gallery of
Canada for more than three decades
has been replaced by a colour palette reminiscent of the northern
lights. To reflect diversity and the notion of 'limitlessness',
colour pairing and gradients bring the logo to life. The concept of
the colour wheel brings back to the metaphor of the circle and that
everything is connected.
Depending on the context in which the logo is used—on the
website, posters/flyers/advertisements, promoting an exhibition or
activity on social media, etc.—the colour selection corresponds to
the dominant colour of the artwork concerned. For example, if the
main colour is blue in a painting by Alex
Colville, aqua and purple would be the colours to match.
Colour gradations symbolize new voices and perspectives that
join old ones and are being amplified. The gradient also brings
dimension to the simple shapes of the logo, like light through a
kaleidoscope.
About the National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada
is home to the largest contemporary Indigenous art collection in
the world, as well as the most important collection of historical
and contemporary Canadian and European Art from the
14th to 21st centuries. Founded in
1880, the National Gallery of Canada has played a key role in Canadian
culture for well over a century. Among its principal missions is to
increase access to art for all Canadians. For more information,
visit gallery.ca and follow us
on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram
SOURCE National Gallery of Canada
