People Really Hate the Philadelphia Art Museum Rebrand

Farewell to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and welcome to … brace yourselves … the Philadelphia Art Museum! *silence*

On Wednesday, October 8, the esteemed cultural institution revealed a significant rebranding initiative, which features a new logo employing a serif typeface and a slightly abbreviated name that has garnered mixed reactions—some fans applaud, while others appear puzzled. This rebranding follows a trend of recent museum identities stirring public conversation, notably campaigns from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Brooklyn Museum in the last decade.

For those not familiar with Philadelphia, you might not view the change as particularly groundbreaking (both “Philadelphia Museum of Art” and “Philadelphia Art Museum” are lengthy). However, for locals, many of whom just call the institution “the Art Museum,” this shift may feel quite organic.

“When I reference the PMA to people not engaged in arts and culture, they often look at me blankly,” said Sasha Suda, the museum’s director and CEO, in an interview with public radio station WHYY-FM. With its new moniker, the museum now adopts the George Michael-esque acronym, “PhAM” (minus the exclamation point), which has already been included in its updated website.

Not everyone is thrilled about the rebranding. “The #phart museum? Seriously?!” joked costume designer Rita Squitiere on X. “We had no trouble calling it the Philadelphia Museum of Art … We’re clever people; we can manage long names.”

For the rebranding, the museum collaborated with Brooklyn-based design firm Gretel, known for its work with prestigious clients like the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas. The firm’s portfolio also includes the New York City Football Club, a detail that raised eyebrows for critics commenting on PhAM’s new logo that features the institution’s emblematic griffin.

“It resembles a soccer team emblem,” remarked one individual in response to a supportive comment from the Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, on Instagram. This observation was echoed by the art publication The Arts District, which described the logo as reminiscent of an athleisure advertising campaign.

“It appears both dull and burdensome, a far cry from the delightful collection that is PMA,” expressed artist and filmmaker Lex Brown on Instagram.

Some attendees criticized the choice to engage a New York City design firm rather than one grounded in Philadelphia. “For a museum brimming with beautiful and inventive art, this rebranding feels like the work of a NYC design agency tasked with a hip coffee shop in Fishtown,” lamented artist Rushawn Stanley on Instagram.

Greg Hahn, the founder of Gretel, remarked to Hyperallergic that the audience’s feedback regarding the museum’s redesign reflects “a strong response to alterations in something they have come to cherish.”

“Any brand (whether a person, place, or thing) cultivates an audience, and if it’s fortunate, a following. When that occurs, changes will elicit varying opinions—some are based on valid concerns, others are simply acts of reflex,” Hahn noted.

Others indicated that the brand’s new custom font, dubbed Fairmount Serif, seemed overly dystopian. (Gretel stated in its announcement that this typeface draws inspiration from the museum’s history as the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Arts, along with architectural details like its original seal and wall engravings.)

“The logo resembles a relic of the Cold War,” critiqued illustrator Bonnie Watts, referencing the institution’s tense relations with its labor union. In June 2023, unionized workers accused leadership of going back on promises regarding longevity pay. This came on the heels of a 19-day strike, where staff sought raises, paid family leave, and more accessible healthcare.

“Improve conditions for those who truly contribute to the museum,” Watts urged on Instagram. “Perhaps then more visitors would come.”