PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Founded in 1968, the Studio Museum in Harlem stands as the nexus for artists of African descent. It supports emerging artists financially and provides studio space while curating collections that champion underrepresented artists. Rooted in Harlem's cultural legacy, the museum is a bastion of Black art, serving as a site for stirring conversations and dynamic exchanges among its visitors.
Preparing to move and transition to a more formal posture, they sought a website redesign to align with its evolving institution. The aim: achieve greater accessibility for a broader community. Today, it actively redefines the museum experience as a vibrant meeting place reverberating with life, sound, and dynamic energy. BaseNYC embraced the challenge of translating this vitality and communal spirit into an engaging online platform.
Inspired by Harlem’s iconic brownstone stoop, our website design transforms into a dynamic meeting place, echoing the lively streets with sounds and voices. Embracing noise as a concept, we digitally mirror the museum's living space, presenting artworks immersed in the context of neighboring creations. Shifting the focus from artworks to the artists themselves, the new website features engaging video and audio clips within the margins—peripheral "chatter" to capture the animated essence of the Studio Museum’s setting.
PROJECT INFORMATION
Entry Type: Single Entry
Channel: Digital
Primary Role of the Designer: Designer as change agent
Client Relationship: Unknown (NA) / Other (if other, please explain) Contract/scope-based
Intention of the Project: Re-launch, redesign, or update of an existing product, service or program
Development Budget: Decline to state
Production/Execution Budget: Decline to state
Source of Funding: Client
Typefaces: Studio Museum Black – glare, sans, italic (custom typeface by Studio Pacific)
Paper:
Materials:
CREDIT INFORMATION
Creative Director: Min Lew
Art Director:
Designers: Mitya Sudakov
Researchers:
Developers: Artem Lyustik; Olya Sidorchenko; Sergei Khegai; Volha Trehubava
Copywriter:
Illustrator:
Photographer:
Printer:
Producer: Vivian Valentin - Digital Producer
Other Credits: Marc Hill - Senior Designer / Digital Strategist; Jerry Johnston - Strategist; Mirek Nisenbaum - Digital Director; Andrey Starkov - Technical Director; Harry Laverty - Senior Account Lead; Ji Park (Designer / Creative Technologist); Ross Gendels - Senior Design Director; Masha Basyrova - Project Manager; Chakshu Patel - Chief Advancement Officer; Elizabeth Karp-Evans - Director of Marketing; Shanna Kudowitz - Associate Director of Digital Marketing and Communication; Isata Yansaneh - Director of Marketing and Communications; Thelma Golden - Director and Chief Curator
Studio Museum in Harlem website
Category
Experience / Product / Service / Systems Design
Description
Winner - 365: AIGA Year in Design (2023)
Title: Studio Museum in Harlem website
Design Firm/Agency: Base Design
Client Industry:
Client Location: New York, New York, USA
Juror Comments
Self-Identified Distinctions:
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