Detroit Institute of Arts

The DIA is home to one of the largest and most significant collections in the United States, with more than 65,000 works of art.

Among the DIA’s notable works are Mexican artist Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry fresco cycle, Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker and Vincent van Gogh's Self-Portrait. Welcoming more than 600,000 visitors a year, the DIA has been a beacon of culture for the Detroit area for well over a century.

BRAND STRATEGY

New inside and out.

The DIA was undergoing a major renovation and expansion when we started this project. Upon completion, the “new DIA” would deliver a more enriching visitor experience through new methods of display and interpretation designed to intensify a visitor's emotional bond with the art. This would provide engaging experiences that enable people to discover more about the world and themselves.

While a total physical transformation of the DIA was happening, it also needed a personality change. The old, stuffy, and snooty perceptions of art museums were a barrier to new visitors. The new DIA’s spaces and collections were being reorganized to make everyone feel welcome. Art aficionados and the art-curious. Repeat visitors and first-timers. Families and retirees. Knowledge seekers and couples on first dates. The new brand had to feel welcoming, and accessible to all.

There was an opportunity to reactivate people’s latent appreciation for art and help them fulfill their desire to have art in their lives by visiting the new DIA. In our focus groups, people spoke with passion and in a very personal way about how art makes a contribution to their lives. We also found that people connect with art in many different ways. For most people, an art museum is more than a place–it’s an experience. It provides a way to stretch your mind. Find inner peace. Be inspired. Open up to new perspectives. It’s a way to get away from the everyday.

Services

Brand Strategy
Outdoor
TV
Radio
Print Advertising
Outdoor Advertising
Collateral
Tagline
Street Pole Banners

BRAND POSITIONING

Making a quick getaway.

Our campaign was built on art’s transformative powers. The new DIA is a great place to get off the highway of everyday life and take the back roads to enjoy what’s important to you.

It’s an easy, everyday getaway. A place where you can stop time, even for a moment, to notice colors, a brushstroke, a shape, or an idea. You go to see things differently and take a break from the speed and momentum of everyday life. If I have one hour or all day, if you need a break or an adventure, to be recharged or feel at peace, if you visit solo or with others, the DIA has something profound to offer.

Getting away to the new DIA reconnects and rejuvenates. It’s a way to reconnect with the values that matter to you. At the new DIA, it’s easy to leave the busy world behind and be uplifted. A beautiful work of art can take you anywhere. “Let yourself go” became our tagline and guided us the rest of the way.

BRAND ROLLOUT

A warm welcome.

Instead of featuring reproductions of the DIA’s most famous works of art, our new branding campaign took a more approachable path. The transformative power of art was best conveyed through illustration. Works from Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh and others are subtly represented with simple line drawings. The cartoony look welcomed all ages and levels of art appreciation. And it let people know something fun and different was happening at the new DIA. It’s a place where you can truly “Let yourself go.”

Let yourself go.

The new DIA campaign made a big splash in Detroit with museum signage, streetpole banners and building wraps. A series of TV spots depicted visitor’s transformations through animation. Print, radio, collateral and other elements conveyed the “Let yourself go” theme through the same simple illustrative style. After our campaign launched, the DIA’s 12-month goal for attendance was attained in eight months.