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How Span Reimagined the Nature Museum Identity
Span redefined the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum identity by moving away from clinical museum tropes toward a system inspired by Illinois prairie ecology.
What: The redesign by Span uses seven colors derived from prairie plants, the 'Tonka' typeface, and a flexible mark that shifts between butterfly, flower, and cloud shapes to create a more expressive visual language.
Why it matters: Museums are increasingly moving toward abstract, flexible identity systems that allow for better digital application across mobile and social platforms compared to legacy logo-heavy branding.
Original article
Span redesigned Chicago's Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum around the colors, forms, and character of native Illinois prairies, creating a warmer and more expressive identity for both casual visitors and scientific audiences. Tonka provides an organic wordmark, while New Atten, seven colors named after prairie flora, and an abstract mark that can read as a butterfly, flower, or cloud give the system its distinctive character. The mark can frame photography, become a repeating pattern, or function independently, allowing the identity to extend across the website, signage, campaigns, posters, and museum store.
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