National Gallery of Canada identity
AREA 17’s rebranding for the National Gallery of Canada reflects the institution’s commitment to inclusion and amplifying Indigenous voices.
Responses by Carolyn Centeno Milton, strategy director; and Benoit Lemoine, lead designer, AREA 17.
Background: As Canada’s pre-eminent visual arts organization and comprising the largest collection of contemporary Indigenous art in the world, as well as the country’s largest Canadian and European collections of art The National Gallery of Canada represents Canadian cultural identity on a world stage. Coinciding with the launch of its strategic plan to address systemic shifts in its institution, the Gallery engaged AREA 17 to transform its brand to reflect the decolonization of the museum, decenter narratives, amplify new voices, and reframe art within a more inclusive context. The new brand needed to reflect the organization’s reconciliation efforts with First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, an