A new identity was developed for the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History
Today, the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History presented the new identity of the institution, which was created by the team of the social projects agency Platfor.ma. The visual style is based on museum exhibits, archival photos and the colors of the nature of Mykolaiv Oblast.
Last year, the museum celebrated its 110th anniversary. Today, the MOKM is the largest museum association in the region with 5 branches, where more than 400,000 exhibits are stored. After the invasion began, the team had to dismantle the exhibition and evacuate part of the collection. The museum building was also heavily damaged by shelling. They were able to resume work only in March 2023, and the restoration of the exposition is still ongoing.
“We fell in love with the Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History at first sight – there is an incredible team and many authentic exhibits that are important both for Mykolaiv and for the whole of Ukraine,” Platfor.ma says. – However, as in most state museums of Ukraine, the team of the MOKM simply does not have enough strength and resources for quality renewal of the identity, especially in times of war. However, war is a particularly important time for museums to be visible. After all, museums preserve national memory, shape the identity of the people, destroy imperial and Soviet myths and motivate Ukrainians to be interested in their own history. And we really wanted to help.”
The identity was based on the most valuable – the museum’s historical and natural exhibits. The logo sign is a stylized bronze cauldron, which is one of the most interesting exhibits of the Museum. This is a unique monument of Belozerska culture (middle of the 13th – middle of the 11th centuries BC), which was found by chance on the territory of the Dykiy Sad settlement in Mykolaiv in 1930.
In the logo, it is placed on an arched form, the proportions and contours of which reproduce the facade of the arches of the complex of buildings “Staroflotsky Barracks”, where the museum is located. The letter “M” above the shape of the cauldron is the first letter from the name of the city of Mykolaiv. Its grapheme is inspired by the fonts of Ukrainian book graphics.
An important part of the visual identity of the museum is artistic photos of the exhibits – from pottery of the Trypil culture to herbariums with images of Red Book plants of the Mykolaiv region. The color range is inspired by the nature of the region and the exhibition halls of the museum. The author of the new identity of the museum was the art director of Platfor.ma Valeriia Horodchanina.
“Despite the difficult military present, our museum is very popular,” says Svitlana Romanenko, head of the Department of Mobile and Stationary Exhibitions of the Museum. – Visitors come to the halls to learn the history of the region, enjoy interesting exhibits, and relax emotionally. Among them are children and adults, local residents and immigrants, military personnel who defend our country. I think it is very important that the museum is recognizable at first glance: by its logo, font, color scheme. And I am very grateful to the Platfor.ma team, which, in close cooperation with the museum staff, created the identity of our institution.”
The identity update will be just the beginning of changes in the museum’s communications. The Platfor.ma team, together with the MOKM team, has already started updating the institution’s social media pages. Ahead is the launch of the new MOKM website, the release of an album with museum exhibits, and even the creation of a line of souvenirs. All updates are expected in May-June 2024.