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| Since its major refurbishing, the Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) has attained a high level of quality in many areas – events, curatorship and, of course, in its many fine galleries and exhibitions.
To reflect its new standing as an international attraction – ‘where Asian cultures come alive’ – to Asia and the rest of the world, ACM wanted a new brand. Out of 3 shortlisted design agencies, Chemistry was selected to embark on the ACM branding project … and an extensive explorative journey steeped in heritage. |
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The idea
In the beginning, the ACM management leaned towards a monogram-like logo; a purely typographic brand with just the letters A, C and M. While there were some routes developed in that direction, the team also went on a quest to find something more unique to the museum and more ownable. It soon became clear that the Empress Place building itself was the museum's most significant visual asset.
“The ACM building is a fine piece of Victorian architecture situated in a historic area right on the banks of the Singapore River. We decided to bring these qualities together, distill its essential character and create a ‘Museum on the River’ icon,” describes Marcel Heijnen.
Spurred by the enthusiastic response from the ACM board, the team came up with a design that represented the ACM building: a façade with three large arches, along with its ‘wave-like’ reflection in the Singapore River. The reflection not only clues one in to the building’s location but is also a powerful metaphor for what one does inside a museum – to reflect. To reflect upon the artefacts and upon the many cultures which they represent.
The ‘Museum On The River’ logo's specially selected orange is youthful, thus containing added appeal to a younger audience. Simon Wong explains “orange is a colour associated with activity and energy. It is the colour of the sun and as such an all encompassing Asian colour.
It also reminiscent of the unique colour of Singapore's traditional roof tiles. In this way, there is also a colour link back to local heritage. It is warmly complimented by brown, reminiscent of Singapore’s cultural roots, a visual link back to our native soil. |
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