The New York Historical

Our Nation in Conversation

A motion identity system honoring New York’s first museum while expanding its voice in the national conversation.

Overview

Built around the brand idea “Our nation in conversation,” the motion system translates the identity’s bold H symbol into a living storytelling framework. Stemming from the hyphen in “New-York,” motion uses the mark as both a timeline that allow us to navigate through 220 years of museum history, as well as a device that opens conversations between ideas, eras, and individuals. The system brings historical authority into a contemporary context, helping The New York Historical present history as something alive, relevant, and essential to understanding the country today.

Motion behaviors

The motion system is defined by three core behaviors that turn the hyphen into a flexible storytelling tool. Each behavior supports a different way of engaging with history, from navigating across time, to creating dialogue between ideas, to drawing focus toward the subjects, stories, and moments.

Conversational
Spotlight
Timeline

Bringing the hyphen to life

The behaviors bring the hyphen to life as a storytelling device, creating different ways to interact with content, connect ideas, and direct attention to the people, stories, and moments that matter most.

Design
Brendan Murphy Devin Sager
Motion
Victor Rijo Chen Longo