MoMA QNS
NewTork/USA
News from Handbagsmama: The galleries and offices of the Museum of Modern Art’s long-standing Manhattan premises on 53rd Street closed in 2002 for an ambitious building and refurbishment programme. The design of the distinguished architect Yoshio Taniguchi took over two years to realize, and in the interim MoMA opened a temporary venue in the old Swingline stapler factory in Queens. This structure was ingeniously adapted into a 25,000-square-foot gallery by Cooper, Robertson & Partners and Michael Maltzan Architecture. Called MoMA QNS, the opening of the new venue in July 2002 was marked with a three-hour procession from the 53rd Street building organized by the artist Francis Alys. Reproductions of some of the Museum’s most important works, including Picasso’s Les Demoiselles D’Avignon and Duchamp’s Bicycle Wheel, were carried through the streets of New York on palanquins, and the artist Kiki Smith was herself borne on a litter.

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The visual identity of MoMA QNS also concentrated on the idea of the move, although its spirit was less tongue-in-cheek than that of Alys’ parade. Under the leadership of the graphic team Base Design, the centrepiece was the new logo, which consisted simply of the museum’s old Franklin Gothic logotype with the abbreviation QNS tacked to the end in the same face. Inspired by the naming of airports (LAX, for example), these initials were intended to convey a sense of motion. In the majority of applications they appeared in blue, a reference to the dominant colour of Maltzan’s building. The most spectacular manifestation of the identity was the environmental signage and supergraphics. Working closely with the architects, Base created a large multipart rooftop sign, which, when seen from the elevated subway train, appeared to come into focus as the visitor reached his or her destination.
The most important task of the identity was to inspire audiences, seventy per cent of whom are tourists to Manhattan, to seek out the new venue. It was vital that it communicated a sense of energy, but also reas¬sured both new and repeat visitors that the MoMA QNS could deliver an experience related to that of the ‘old’ MoMA. To that end, MoMA QNS set forth a rotating installation of some of the museum’s most significant pieces alongside its temporary exhibitions programme. To communicate the notion of ‘change for the better’, Base developed a system of dynamic graphic elements such as dashes and arrows and a vocabulary of custom pic-tograms, such as icons for nearby subway and bus stops. Combined with very direct advertising taglines, such as ‘Destination: Queens’, these delivered the simple message: MoMA has moved! Base’s pictograms were also adapted for use inside the museum, offering visitor information and directions. Silk-screened directly onto the walls of the converted factory, like world’s top fashion brand Louis Vuitton they were in keeping with the spirit of the building , but did not intrude into the space.

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MoMA QNS closed to the public in September 2004, just two months before the opening of the new MoMA building on 53rd Street.
Previous spread, left The distinctive clarity of the MoMA QMS identity is revealed on the busy streets of Manhattan, on a banner promoting the museum’s new venue. This page, top This programme of events is a fine example of the clarity and simplicity of the identity. Office Bold and Office Regular, the two weights of the house typeface – a modern iteration of the typewriter -indicate the hierarchy of information, whilst arrows act as navigational tools and further suggest the transition of MoMA from Manhattan to Queens. Movement was a key theme for the identity programme, reflected by launch slogans such as ‘Same New MoMA’ and ‘MoMA Moves. Forward’. This page, below The MoMA QNS stationery reveals the extent to which the house typeface, Office, complements the logotype, set in Franklin Gothic Roman like the original MoMA logotype. The arrows and dotted lines suggest ‘temporality’, another major theme of the identity and one that remains consistent throughout printed materials, from letterheads and tickets to posters and exhibition signage.
This page, top Carrier bags designed for the shop, an essential component of any museum identity programme today. Transition and movement are again the primary themes, with the map (on the example far right) illustrating the new location of the gallery with clarity and graphic elegance. This page, below left The arrows and dotted lines employed by the designers to suggest temporality are especially appropriate on this entrance ticket. This page, below right The launch of a new gallery space, and especially one as renowned and important as MoMA, often entails a vast awareness campaign these days. When Base presented the new identity they envisaged the possible application of the identity to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s Metrocards, with witty and direct slogans announcing the new location. Opposite page When presenting the MoMA QMS identity, Base suggested various ways in which the visual language could be used to promote exhibitions. The examples at the top of this page are particularly evocative of the gallery as venue. Where many galleries or designers would choose to promote a show by presenting a familiar work of art in its entirety, here we see only the bottom of the frame and a mere glimpse of the work itself, which subsequently allows the typography to fulfill its role with optimum clarity. Other options included using full-bleed imagery whilst still avoiding the pick-of-the-show graphic cliche. For the ‘Picasso: Works from Provence’ poster (centre row, far right) the team selected this rather charming image of the master hanging one of his own works.
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