Ecotarium: Museum Rebrand

Overview:

The EcoTarium private is non-profit natural sciences museum based in Worcester Massachusetts. It provides unique avenues to explore science and nature inside the classroom and out. It’s main target audience is school children in grades K to 12 and young families in local communities. Their mission started in 1825 with 14 men with a goal of fostering an appreciation and understanding of the natural world.

Problem:

Their current identity system focuses on the younger generation K-8. The logo uses ten colors with a sans serif type set in squares along with a Planet and Paw print icon. This multicolored logo with its playful jumbled arrangement is not an easy read, and says “silly science place to kill time with your kids.”

Solution:

The combination of New England history and earth sciences exhibits, extensive out door spaces and wild life should be leveraged in their marketing to a border demographic beyond the K -12 school tours and local families.

Market Position

There are several competing science museums, zoos and nature parks within 40 miles of the EcoTarium While all these locations are strong in their particular attributes, none has the unique combination of nature sciences with hands on exhibits, a planetarium, walking trails, a zoo, and a 1.5 mile train ride around the perimeter of the grounds all within in their 55 acres.

Competition:

Science Museums:

Museum of Science
The Discovery Museum
MIT Museum
Boston Children’s Museum

Zoos:

Stone Zoo
Franklin Park Zoo
Roger Williams Park Zoo
Southwick Zoo

Wildlife Refuges:

Caratunk Wildlife Refuge
Audubon Society of Rhode Island
Parker River National Wildlife
Refuge on Plum Island
Mass Audubon

User Persona

Thinks the Ecotariun is a small zoo some place in
Worcester. She has forgotten about the fourth
grade field trip she took with Mrs Mellow’s class.
Age Demographic 18 -25
Personality:
Strong willed, intelligent, introvert, trying to figure out how the world works on all levels.
Life style:
Very busy with high school homework, studying for tests and keeping up with her social life on social media. The cornstarch slime she made in grade school was pretty cool and wasn’t grossed out with her frog dissection in high school.
Thinks about:
Concerned with the polar bears diminishing and global warm-ing but doesn’t know what a to do about it. Has learned a lot of science from the 10 pound book she had to lug to school but it has all been to pass the tests for a good grade to get a decent GPA to get into a good College and figure things out from there.

Sketches, Head Work

Logo Development

Design System

Bold headline fonts convey confidence and directness. The slogan “Explore, Discover, Learn, Repeat” is a rip off from a sports chant of the Boston Red Sox, a local Baseball team.