Texas State History Museum

At the Texas State History Museum in Austin, fd2s created a memorable graphic identity for the Museum’s “Story of Texas” brand, and then developed innovative ways to reinforce this message throughout the built environment, including everything from the design of a wayfinding system that incorporates relevant historical figures to the development of a program for maintaining the identity in exhibit panels and displays. Rather than settling for a stuffy, low-key approach that emphasizes the fact that the project is a history museum, fd2s took the “Story of Texas” positioning line and made it the identity’s key feature.

This strategy reflects the museum’s desire to shake the “bones under glass” stereotype that often limits public interest and attendance at older history museums. The museum, which attracted more than one million visitors in its first year of operation, includes an IMAX theatre, café, retail shop, state-of-the-art exhibits, and underground parking, all of which are tied together by the dynamic graphic voice created by fd2s.