The W of the Whitney rebrand is crisp and minimal, designed in 2012 by the Experimental Jetset. The geometric properties interact well with the negative space and give an ambiguous perception to the graphic identity.
It is evident ‘The Jetset’ are personifying the “flexibility and inflexibility” of the museum by distorting the lines and bowl breadth accordingly to what exhibition is on.
In all of the different layouts the W acts as a plinth to showcase the work, wrapping around and leading the eye to the artists work as a focal point. The colour scheme is versatile allowing experimentation and playfulness through the use of vivid blues and reds within the planning stage. The use of grey seems to connote the idea of NYC being a “concrete jungle”. This is emphasised by the bold industrial typeface being sleek/modern and being “[quintessentially] New York” according to the Jetset.. It seems the bold typeface has also been used so when posters and advertisements are seen from a far they can still be understood and referenced back to the Whitney’s identity.
The W is also the “short hand symbol for all kinds of instructions”, this changes its meaning within different contexts ranging from musical notation to stage directions. Naturally this was an influence as the museum is host to numerous artistic events throughout the year, meaning the symbol in its symbolic meaning transcends artistic genres.
As a group we thought the stand alone logo was not as effective as it is in context due to the ambiguity the average Joe may not twig into. However, when placed in context and the W is distorted it is extremely successful at leading the eye to the work/ information- thus being fit for purpose.
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