Berkshire Museum Case Study
The Berkshire Museum, full of history and legacy, is focused on the community in Pittsfield, MA. Their mission to make art and education accessible and welcoming to everyone has been inspriing people of all ages for 120 years.
What We Did
- Brand Strategy
- Logo Design
- Messaging
- Website Design
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- Custom WordPress Development
The Challenge
Berkshire Museum was having an identity issue.
They could see the gap between how they see themselves and how they are seen. They wondered how they could be listed as a destination in the Berkshires for their local community and those visiting the area.
They were also seen as a children’s museum, though they have an extensive collection of fine art, and they wanted those art connections to inspire and educate visitors.
Our challenge was to create an identity, messaging, and a new website that addresses the issues they told us about, and bring new life and meaning to everything they do next.
Identity through Discovery
We began our first discovery session with in-person exercises that would include the voices of everyone who wanted to see the museum succeed. In a room with the new director were their marketing people, board members, and front desk staff.
We dove into questions about the purpose of the museum and wrote their answers on the board. This process led them to consider what everyone was saying, allowing us to see the red thread that tied it all together.
This was followed by a series of facilitated sessions where we talked about their patron personas, their brand as a person, and how they saw the museum in the next 5-10 years. We documented everything we learned and followed up with a presentation of visual and messaging ideas. We took small steps toward their brand identity and made sure everyone was on board.
Events and exhibits, together
The Berkshire Museum has rotating exhibits, drop-in lectures, music and other events. We saw that most museum websites separate their events from their exhibits. We think it makes more sense to put these things together and let the visitor see everything that's happening at the museum in one place.
We developed a WordPress calendar that allows the museum to add exhibits along side events. They can choose multiple dates, a date range, a single date, or a permanent exhibit, and include time, location, and ticket links in an easy to use layout.
Museum staff can order events and exhibits by hand, mixing permanent exhibits with upcoming events. Everything can be filtered by type or by date, and visitors can search by keyword so things are easy to find again.
A website that's friendly and helpful
In our brand strategy sessions, we learned about the 4 types of personas that visit the museum. The colors, typography, messaging, and design elements were ready to greet them. Next, we needed to map out the new website.
Before we got into design, we worked with their team to create a diagram of pages. We considered how information could be grouped, and connected pages to others, showing how the visitor could move through the website. We created a set of wireframes which showed layout ideas and the information hierarchy, sparking discussion about what’s important as the visitor travels down a page.
Their new website is simple, welcoming, and easy to use. We created a 50-50 split design for their team to rearrange blocks of content that fit perfectly together while having fun with color, media, and typography.
“Berkshire Museum was delighted to work with Gemini Creative on its new branding and website project. The engagement with our team was productive. We discovered ways to refresh the museum’s visible presence online and in our printed materials, along with new branded merchandise for the gift shop.”
“As a team, Gemini was imaginative, surprising, and patient. We are very pleased with the results and have received many compliments on our new look!”
Kimberley Bush Tomio Executive Director at Berkshire Museum
Ward’s NurseryGreat Barrington, MA
Ward’s is not only a beautiful and successful garden center. Their staff is a wealth of information about plants and trees. Their new website is a learning center to educate gardeners, and a sales tool to keep customers coming in to the store.
You are unique
Let us tailor an approach to your project that fits your budget and achieves the best possible outcome.
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