The Challenge
The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago was founded with a radical idea: who we are began not in Greece or Rome, but rather in complex civilizations of the Near East. In advance of its centennial, the Oriental Institute had four goals: reinvigorate giving; make its storytelling more relevant to contemporary audiences; significantly raise the profile of its world-class museum; and popularize its name as the “OI.” Starting with the brand idea “Humans, together,” we created new messaging and a new visual vocabulary—including a more approachable OI logo inspired by the wheel, currency, and other innovations from the Fertile Crescent.
The Impact
The new centennial brand became the focal point for the year-long centennial celebration and is now incorporated into everything from digital communications to the logos on docents’ shirts.
Project components
- Strategy
- Brand story and messaging
- Naming
- Institutional logo
- Brand platform
- Creative concepts
![Antiquities: a bowl and a pestle. They are arranged to suggest the letters O and I.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Oi_fancy_compos.jpg)
![The OI library, overhead interior shot.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Oi_library_x2000-edited.jpg)
![Brochure creative: 100 Years.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100yrs_stacked_x1200_2-1537x2000.jpg)
![A tour guide wearing a shirt with the new OI logo.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/100yrs_stacked-and-guy_2-1537x2000.jpg)
![Website screenshot: shows an antique stone bowl with the text We are driven to know the future.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Oi_laptop_2000x1200_v1a-edited-1.jpg)
![Website screenshot: shows an antique stone bowl with the text We love blue.](https://www.yesandlipmanhearne.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Oi_web.jpg)