Museum of the City of New York
Centennial Identity

Studio: Trollbäck+Company
Role: Chief Creative Officer

Few institutions know New York City as intimately as the Museum of the City of New York. To usher in its centennial anniversary, the museum needed a signature mark to elevate its design, consumer-facing marketing, and fundraising collateral throughout the year.

Taking inspiration from MCNY’s signature centennial exhibit, This Is New York: 100 Years of the City in Art and Pop Culture, we created a mark that visualizes the city’s story coming full circle. By introducing a signature circle into hero “MCNY” and “100” design elements, the identity is inherently tethered to the museum while also offering a portal into iconic, unmistakably NYC moments over the past century.

A spectrum of collateral and activations was designed to introduce MCNY’s centennial branding to the public, museum patrons, and benefactors. Anchored by a modern, vibrant palette that captures the energy of the city, the identity was implemented across the museum’s website, social media, and Gala celebration collateral. The new color palette even lit up the Empire State Building in honor of the celebration.

The centennial branding culminates with a short film that tells an emotionally-driven story of the museum’s one-of-a-kind, symbiotic relationship with New York City—anchored by the identity’s signature circle motif throughout.

View the full case study at Trollbäck+Company.