The Brief:
Remai Modern is Saskatoon’s world-class contemporary art museum. After five years of existence, the museum still wasn’t being visited by a large portion of the local population – people who don’t ‘get’ modern art or may not feel welcome in the facility. Coinciding with the announcement of switching to a ‘by donation’ model, the museum needed a campaign to reach this new audience.
Solution:
We developed the slogan ‘Worth a look’ - a common prairie expression, which becomes more layered with a deeper meaning about the value of art in the community. We wanted to show that modern art is not just for art snobs. Not everyone will get the same thing out of viewing art, but having any reaction at all is a good place to start (confusion, surprise, wonder, etc.).
Instead of showing the art itself, the ads were filmed from the artwork’s point of view as people are having a ‘look’. Two different TV spots were developed showing people reacting to modern art in different ways.
For the other ad placements, we had some fun with the divisive double letters from the original branding (rR mM), using them in a new way. Bold typography and a new vibrant colour palette stood out from the museum’s previous advertising. On some placements, QR codes linked to different pieces of art, showing what the model is looking at. Digital billboards, airport ads, online banner ads, and a print ad were developed.
My Roles:
creative direction, art direction, design
Other Credits:
Tim Neal (The Engagement Party) - creative direction
Jess Reimer - copywriting, content strategy
Calvin Xiao - brand strategy
Barbershop Films - video production, photography