Fisher Museum Redesign

A team redesign of the Fisher Museum, Los Angeles' first art museum, to bring the USC community through its doors. With Lainey Rothschild and Rachel Jiang.

The challenge

The Fisher is Los Angeles’ first art museum, but it’s tucked into the back of USC’s campus, and only about 3% of the campus community visits each year. When we surveyed students, 66% didn’t know it was free and 55% didn’t know where it was. So we leaned into being hidden. Our campaign, Lost Voices Found, Find the Fisher, invites students to go looking for the museum through wayfinding and AR.

Bold and easy to find

Our moodboard looked at museums that guide people with color and type. We took three things from it: bold colors, cutouts and wayfinding. The identity pairs Helvetica Condensed Black with Adobe Caslon, in six bright colors that stand out against campus brick.

Wayfinding

The logo doubles as an arrow, so it can point the way across campus. Each sign carries a short message, like “5 minutes away from the first museum in LA” or “Find yourself at the Fisher.” Extra shapes and scan-me graphics add more ways to interact.

Augmented reality

Scanning a wayfinding sign opens an Instagram AR preview of the current exhibit, a teaser to get people through the door.

Print, social and merch

The identity carries into exhibit brochures, social posts, museum tags and tote bags. The tag pairs Adobe Caslon with Helvetica, with the logo cut out so the wall color shows through, and is made in vinyl. Free totes help spread the hashtag.