Challenge: Blending now with the past

How to create a brand for a contemporary art museum that gives space to the art inside while staying in tune with the advanced architecture and the intriguing personality of Mr. Anderson?  

Designed by the most awarded Finnish architecture studio ever, JKMM Architects, the character of Amos certainly lives on in the museum. Central to the architectural design, subterranean sections were joined with ingenious deference to the historic 1930s Lasipalatsi building and some strange futuristic visions. The building was to be a sublimely beautiful cave, bubbling up to the surface within the square.

Approach: Made together

Collaboration lies at the centre of the project. The work was set in motion by Kai Kartio, the director of the Amos Anderson Museum, with a keen wish to involve all the museum’s personnel in the strategy work. He felt that their participation would be crucial for the success of the new museum and its brand. So, we kicked things off in the attic of the Amos Anderson Museum with a team of 25. Together, we started to sketch the foundations of the Amos Rex brand. Everyone had a say, their fingerprints all over what came to be.  
 
The brand drew deep inspiration from the personality of Amos Anderson (the name, for example). He was considered a rags-to-riches businessman, globetrotter, patron of the arts and sciences, and a reputed socialite. His interests in the Middle Ages and Catholicism contributed to his renowned mysticism. Having risen to the upper echelons of society, Amos served as a member of the Finnish parliament in 1920 and owned Finland’s largest Swedish-language newspaper, Hufvudstadsbladet. When he died in 1961, his fortune and extensive collection of medieval to modern art were entrusted to the foundation he had established in 1940, Konstsamfundet.

Outcome: A modern icon above and below the ground

Amos Rex’s brand rests on the foundation of its strategy. “A multifaceted and engaging cultural entity, offering visitors unique experiences and surprising encounters underground, above ground, and on the silver screen – the new and the old in the new and the old” sums up the idea of the brand.  
 
The museum’s values – open-minded, blissful and refined – serve as the creative drivers of all its expressions. Watch the logo in its wave-like motion, and you’ll see the brand values come to life. This energy flows into the typography and the striking black-and-white colour scheme, ensuring that the art always takes centre stage.  
 
An extensive signage system was created in harmony with the surroundings, gently guiding visitors to get the most out of their visit. Together with the staff, we curated the first-ever museum shop collection. The staff were given golden jackets – another wink towards Amos. Children, parents, and teachers alike discovered Ou: a curious character often wrestling with big feelings and even bigger energy. Getting the neon sign installed on the protected exterior of the building – atop an old chimney – required some tugging and pulling, both literally and figuratively. Today, the sign stands as a proud centrepiece of Lasipalatsi Square, and acts as part of the ventilation system for the beautiful cave that is Helsinki’s newest, and already beloved, art institution.

Impact: One of the most visited museums in Finland

In 2018 Amos Rex entered into the Helsinki art scene with intensity. The museum gained rapid worldwide attention and attracted over 10 000 visitors in a matter of weeks and over half a million visitors during its first year. Today, Amos Rex maintains its place within the top ten most visited museums in Finland. The queues are infamous.