MFA Boston rebranded itself as a museum 'for everyone, not just the elite'

The MFA holds one of the most comprehensive art collections in the Americas, from historical masterpieces to contemporary icons, but its elite-coded image didn't match its evolution toward diverse artists and community initiatives.

Tie the museum to Boston in the logo itself — the A and B connect — swap the red square for a future-pointing red triangle, and promise 'Here All Belong'.

Base Design New York built a flexible identity: 'Boston' more prominent in the logo, bold contemporary typography with special glyphs that 'embrace from above and support below', heritage red plus vibrant tones, an animated red-triangle ticker — and a relaunch campaign pairing the slogan 'Here All Belong' with portraits from the collection.

No metrics reported; the identity relaunched the museum across out-of-home, posters, print and digital as 'welcoming and highly accessible'.

In September 2022, Boston's Museum of Fine Arts unveiled a rebrand by Base Design's New York office, with new positioning meant to 'remind all Bostonians that its spaces and collections are for everyone, not just the elite'. The museum's grand neoclassical home and prestigious reputation had come to feel intimidating — a problem for visitor numbers and at odds with programming that featured more diverse artists and community initiatives.

The identity makes belonging structural. 'Boston' becomes prominent in the logo, its A and B letterforms connected to tie the museum to its city. The type is 'bold, contemporary and slightly quirky', with special glyphs that create 'a sense of belonging and connection; embracing from above and supporting below'. The old red square becomes a red triangle — a flexible device that points to important information, 'points to the future', and animates online as a ticker.

The relaunch campaign carries the slogan 'Here All Belong' — 'a promise of active inclusion that reflects what the museum is, and stands for, today' — across posters that pair the flexible visual framework with portraits from the collection spanning different time periods and countries.

The design argues inclusion structurally: letterforms that connect, glyphs that 'embrace from above and support below'.

The red triangle replaces the red square — a device that points, directs and animates rather than blocks.

Campaign portraits drawn from the collection's many periods and countries make 'Here All Belong' concrete instead of sloganistic.

An elite-coded institution rebrands by changing its body language — letterforms, colours, slogans — from gatekeeping to inviting, without hiding the grandeur.

The rebrand launched in September 2022 across out-of-home, print and digital. No visitor or membership figures were reported.