HARTFORD, CONN.- The Wadsworth (formerly known as the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art) unveils a new institutional brand, the first in its 183-year history. Recently listed by The Washington Post as one of the twenty best art museums in the United States, The Wadsworth engaged Saffron Brand Consultants to comprehensively update its brand positioning, visual identity, and messaging to better serve its communities near Hartford and far beyond. The Wadsworth’s Board of Trustees, leadership, and staff participated in a process spanning nearly a year, balancing the museum’s long history with the need to demonstrate current relevance to its communities, and inspire the public through its collection and programs.

“Despite its long history, The Wadsworth has never formally undertaken a branding process before, and it was time to delve deeply into our goals for this historic institution going forward; to consider anew the audiences we serve, and redesign our visual identity. We knew we needed the guidance, creativity, and expertise of a great partner. We chose Saffron for their sensitivity to centuries-old institutions with rich legacies, and for their outstanding brand strategy and design work for world-class clients,” said Jeffrey N. Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wadsworth.

Saffron is an international branding firm based in London and Madrid with a formidable client list including Meta, YouTube, the City of Vienna, and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) among many others. The firm’s task was to galvanize and articulate the museum’s mission, clarify its role within the region of Hartford, Connecticut in addition to the museum world writ large, and update its visual design assets for contemporary audiences, and those of the future.

“We saw an incredible, underleveraged asset at the heart of this institution: its identity as an Atheneum, a place for creativity and openness, for learning and exchanging ideas. There is an intrinsic dynamism within The Wadsworth’s founding vision and in its collection that needed to be surfaced. We wanted to create a brand that celebrates the past but aims to inspire the next generation, one that can draw people from nearby and afar and play a meaningful role in shaping the cultural life of Hartford. Our goal was to help the museum see the full potential of what was already in its hands,” said Maria Antonia Dolman, Saffron Senior Strategist.

A new look, a new voice, a renewed commitment to community

Every aspect of the museum’s visual identity from the logo to the typeface, the palette, and art direction communicates an aspect of the Wadsworth’s identity.

“We set out to create a design that acknowledges the idea that the physical place is only part of the story. Our goal was to capture the inspiration a museum like this can spark — how it gives people the space to think, imagine, and create. We wanted to celebrate the vital role of space in creativity, recognizing that for a gallery, space is not just a setting but an essential part of how art finds its meaning.

The previous logo depicted the original castle-like building. We wanted to go beyond the physical and capture the spirit of the institution — creating a wordmark that feels both rooted in history but enduringly modern,” said Matt Atchison, Saffron Creative Director.

The new logo was inspired by idiosyncratic lettering from an historic plaque honoring Jeremiah Wadsworth, which visitors can find tucked inside the museum’s Main Street entrance. A sweeping, vibrant new palette emerged from architectural features within the museum’s historic buildings; the vibrant hues of the museum’s colorful Sol LeWitt murals juxtaposed with elegant architectural elements of brass and the patina of antique bronze. The museum’s new name was unanimously chosen based on feedback from local communities, as well as tendencies of natural speech, and the flexibility that a simpler time-honored name allows – The Wadsworth.

Much deeper than a beautiful visual identity, the Wadsworth’s new brand is a microcosm of the many firsts in its history, the creativity the museum hopes to inspire, and its hopes for the future, as indicated by the slogan “1842 – ONWARD.”

“With this rebrand, The Wadsworth reconnects to its deep historic roots as a catalyst for advancing artistic culture in the United States. At the same time, it embraces the promise of new vistas and opportunities that will carry the museum forward well into the future” said Matthew Hargraves, Director of The Wadsworth.