Jewish Museum of Maryland
All are welcome.
Founded in 1960, the Jewish Museum of Maryland connects people to Jewish experiences and Maryland’s Jewish community to its roots. They inspire everyone to explore history, take action, and imagine a better future.
It is the only Jewish museum in America with two historic synagogues, preserved and interpreted for the public. The first is the Lloyd Street Synagogue (1845). The second is the B’nai Israel Synagogue (1876). The Museum is situated in the heart of an historic Jewish neighborhood where it tells the stories of two waves of Jewish immigrants to Baltimore, the second largest port of immigration in the United States.
This project was designed in collaboration with Baltimore-based designer Bruce Willen of Public Mechanics.
Architecture: Quinn Evans
Animation: Brian Anderson
Environmental Photography: Karl Connolly, Bruce Willen
Programmatic Photography: Sid Keiser, Will Kirk, and JMM staff
Context
As part of a major renovation, JMM also undertook a reexamination of its brand to better align with its programming and expanding audience. Conversations and a brand workshop with staff and community members revealed that the Museum’s core identity sits at the intersection of Jewish life and Maryland. This insight clarified the need to anchor the brand in its home in Jonestown and to clearly express the Museum’s relationship to place.
Brand Identity Elements
The Museum shared that potential visitors often perceive it as “not for them”—as unwelcoming or closed off. In response, we introduced three doors into the logo, one representing each building on the campus. The door form draws inspiration from the arched windows found throughout Jonestown.
The JMM logo is a homage to its neighborhood, Jonestown, and its row-house architecture. The narrowly proportioned typeface echoes the shapes of the row houses. Together, these elements reflect the brick buildings, the tight urban fabric, and the close-knit community. The logo also emphasizes the doorway as an invitation to enter and explore the rich, intimate life within.
The brand color palette is inspired by the brick that comprises the building. To this foundation, we added a light blue that echoes the sky and the light visible through a window.
In Use
