Home to the Group of Seven, Emily Carr and Norval Morrisseau.
Design studio Bruce Mau Design (BMD) has partnered with the McMichael Canadian Art Collection on a rebrand and website redesign to reposition the institution as a contemporary, vital destination for art and culture in Canada.
Bruce Mau Design is part of 72andSunny’s 'Creative Collective.'
The McMichael is home to the Group of Seven, Emily Carr and Norval Morrisseau.
“The McMichael has undergone a tremendous transformation in recent years,” said The McMichael executive director and chief curator Sarah Milroy.
“While our roots remain firmly grounded in our history and the foundational artists, our vision has expanded to tell a richer, more dynamic story of art in Canada.
“Today, our exhibitions highlight rising contemporary artists, centuries of Indigenous artistic practice, and introduce new scholarship that redefines what ‘Canadian art’ means now. For some time, public perception hadn’t fully kept pace with this evolution.
“This rebrand represents a visual and verbal rearticulation of who we are now: a vibrant, inquisitive, welcoming institution with a clarity of voice and a bold commitment to championing Canadian art in all its forms.”
BMD developed an identity system that includes a redrawn heritage logo, a modern typographic suite, colour palette, and integrated motion and campaign applications.
BMD chief creative officer Laura Stein said they helped the McMichael articulate a big brand idea that positions them in a new way while honouring their roots.
“We redrew an older, handcrafted logo to preserve its warmth and paired it with a clean sans serif typeface from Canadian foundries, balanced, approachable, and timeless,” Stein said.
“The result invites discovery and dialogue across eras and cultures.”
BMD director of design strategy, Kar Yan Cheung, said that through artist interviews and a pop-up studio with staff, they uncovered what truly makes the McMichael special.
“Its spectacular setting, sense of welcome, and its unique way of sparking dialogue,” she said.
“The new identity, built around an ‘invitation to explore,’ embodies that spirit, open, expansive, and engaging.”
