Blending thoughtful design, branding, and community to create a lasting cultural destination

Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Branding Transformation

The organization known as the Arkansas Arts Center was housed in a facility that was maze-like and difficult for visitors to navigate, owing to multiple renovations over its life. While serving as home to a children's theater, an art school, and a permanent collection of drawings and contemporary craft objects, the museum wasn’t easy for visitors to navigate and explore. Undertaking a major capital campaign and reimagining of the space, the organization partnered with our branding team to help bring their vision to life.

Beginning with a discovery process, we engaged key parties and community leaders in Little Rock. Their aspirations informed not only the institution’s evolution from the Arkansas Arts Center to Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts (AMFA) but also the creation of a cohesive brand identity.

As the building took shape, we designed a wayfinding system that seamlessly integrated with the architecture, allowing visitors to navigate and experience the space with ease. For the visual identity, we drew inspiration from the angled lines of the architecture, while also incorporating a strategic break between "A" and "MFA" for clarity. Choosing brand colors was a thoughtful process, guided by questions of identity, impact, and meaning. We took inspiration directly from the art itself. Through exploration, a direction—orange—emerged, setting the foundation for the museum’s visual identity. From there, we gathered a selection of our favorite artworks to share, each reflecting the vibrancy and spirit of AMFA’s new brand. We then carried the refreshed brand identity through the building with wayfinding, specialty graphics, and donor recognition.

Today, AMFA reflects the goals set from the start—where thoughtful design, branding, and community engagement came together to create a lasting cultural destination.