Detroit Historical Society Brand Manifesto

The Detroit Historical Society has been telling the region’s stories for over 100 years. The objective was to help people hear them, and to make the society relevant to a whole new generation across the metropolitan Detroit area. A creative strategy was developed around the idea that everyone has a story to tell and each story supports a collective history. The takeaway thought: “This is Detroit. These are our stories.” This gave birth to a revitalized identity for the Society, complete with a new logo and individual logos for new exhibitions that would mark an evolution in the Society’s brick and mortar manifestations—the Detroit Historical Museum and the Dossin Maritime Museum.  Images in the campaign are pulled from life in both historic and modern Detroit, complete with a handwritten caption, as if the photo was found in the attic of a beloved grandparent.