The focus of this creative exploration for Quinlan Gallery, an envisioned art hub in Chicago, was to develop a brand strategy and visual identity that reflects the gallery’s commitment to showcasing a diverse array of 20th and 21st-century artworks, aimed at an audience that values art’s ability to educate, connect, and inspire.
Outcome
We developed a comprehensive brand strategy for Quinlan Gallery, focusing on a mission statement, market positioning, and audience persona to establish its role in Chicago’s art scene. This strategy informed the creation of a cohesive brand identity, from logo to promotional materials, aimed at attracting an audience for meaningful art engagement.
Services
Brand Strategy
Positioning
Logo & Brand Identity Design
Collateral Design
Signage
Website Design
Process Notes
Our approach to developing Quinlan Gallery’s strategy began with an in-depth exploration aimed at aligning with the gallery’s core mission: to seamlessly connect historical and contemporary art narratives. We sought to grasp the gallery’s vision of presenting a rich assortment of art from the 20th and 21st centuries, fostering a space alive with dialogue and community connection. This phase involved a critical examination of the art scene in Chicago, discovering art appreciation trends and pinpointing how both renowned and emerging artists could be integrated into the gallery’s fabric. This thorough investigation was pivotal, moving beyond mere aesthetics to deepen the gallery’s identity and community engagement, ensuring the art showcased was not only seen but understood by its audience.
Identifying the Target Audience
To pinpoint Quinlan Gallery’s target audience, we focused on adults aged 30-65 with disposable income and a passion for art. This demographic’s engagement with galleries, museums, and online art platforms, along with their participation in art-centric social networks, informed how we tailored the gallery’s messaging and visual identity to meet their specific behaviors.
Brand Positioning Statement
Quinlan Gallery caters to discerning art enthusiasts and collectors in Chicago, offering a unique blend of 20th and 21st-century art to inspire and educate within a globally connected art community.
Positioning
Quinlan Gallery’s positioning was crafted to establish the gallery as a unique connector of past and present art in Chicago, curating engaging 20th and 21st-century artworks. It targets enthusiasts and collectors seeking deep, educational art experiences, aiming to become a central hub for meaningful art dialogue.
Visual Identity Creation
The design of Quinlan Gallery’s visual identity, including the use of serif and sans-serif typefaces together, reflects the gallery’s mission to create a link between 20th-century and contemporary art and appeals to the gallery’s target audience’s sophisticated tastes. This typographic strategy symbolizes the seamless blend of the gallery’s offerings, with color schemes that are deliberately understated—black, white, or derived from the artworks themselves—to ensure the art remains the focal point. This design philosophy extends to the gallery’s logo, which adopts a simple, elegant serif typeface for ‘Quinlan Gallery.’ The restraint in the visual identity underscores the gallery’s ethos: to serve as a backdrop that elevates the art, ensuring that the brand supports rather than overshadows the artworks on display.
The business cards serve a dual purpose: they provide essential contact information and act as personal invitations to the gallery, featuring select artworks or motifs from current exhibitions. This approach directly engages the target audience, who are integrated into art-focused social circles, by enabling those who have experienced an exhibition to share a piece of that experience with others. This method leverages the natural inclination of the audience to share and recommend art, transforming each card into a tool for organic, word-of-mouth promotion and inviting deeper exploration of the gallery’s offerings.
The Outcome
We developed a brand strategy for Quinlan Gallery, including a clear mission statement, compelling market positioning, and a detailed target audience persona, to solidify its envisioned presence in Chicago’s art scene. This strategic foundation has guided the creation of a unified brand identity, encompassing everything from the logo and versatile business cards to the website, and premium promotional materials featuring selected artworks. These elements are designed to draw in and welcome a discerning audience, positioning Quinlan Gallery as a dynamic space where art becomes a medium for meaningful engagement, connecting visitors with new perspectives and insights.
