After presenting 23 exhibitions between 1995 and 2002 at 601 Fifth Avenue, the Dahesh Museum of Art, America’s only institution dedicated to collecting and exhibiting European academic art of the 19th and 20th centuries, relocated to a 30,000-square-foot space in the IBM Building at 580 Madison Avenue. To coincide with their move to the dramatic new space, the Dahesh Museum of Art selected Poulin + Morris to redesign their identity and launch a comprehensive branding and graphic program for the institution.

The primary objective for this redesign was that it simultaneously reflect the Museum’s unique history and tradition, as well as its new role as a major cultural destination in New York City. This duality was ultimately expressed by the contemporary interpretation of a typeface derived from early Roman letterforms. The versatility of the resulting logotype allowed for its application to everything from shopping bags to business cards.

The project also includes the design of stationery, promotional and public information brochures, posters, program calendars, advertisements, a visitor’s guide and map, member newsletter, admission cards and buttons, announcements, invitations, as well as shopping bags and coordinated packaging for the Museum shop. The graphic identity for the Museum’s Café Opaline was also designed and implemented throughout—from menus and paper products to staff uniforms and stationery.