Rebranding mission
The future of Smithsonian is forward-leaning. Built to move learning beyond familiar settings and into real-world experience, where curiosity is sparked through everyday moments and a deeper connection to the world around us.
Key phrases
Knowledge belongs to everyone
Immerse yourself in the story of everything
Discovery begins with participation
Change begins with curiosity
Knowledge grows when shared
Short tagline
Open to all
Step in, dive deep
Learning by doing
Wonder sparks change
Learning together
Key phrases
Accessible
Interactive
Immersive
Collaborative
Transformative
Timeline
Future vision
The future Smithsonian is open, interactive, and inclusive. It invites curiosity through accessible experiences that connect people of all ages to art, science, and culture, inspiring lifelong learning and a more profound sense of shared discovery.
Our new identity
The new Smithsonian identity is pointing forward, with its bright dark blue color symbolizing knowledge and the crisp orange color reflecting the bright light this institution carries along with its history and movement forward into its new future.
Developing the new logo
The logo evolved through an iterative process, beginning with initial sketches that explored a range of directions and ideas. From there, the strongest concepts were refined through rounds of testing for clarity, balance, and flexibility across different applications and sizes. The final mark reflects the result of that exploration and evaluation.
Brand guidelines
The logo evolved through an iterative process, beginning with initial sketches that explored a range of directions and ideas. From there, the strongest concepts were refined through rounds of testing for clarity, balance, and flexibility across different applications and sizes. The final mark reflects the result of that exploration and evaluation.
Expansion opportunities
The new direction for the Smithsonian opens room to
grow through pop-ups, partnerships, guided moments,
and lasting touchpoints, building collaborations that
keep learning active and accessible.
