2024 Winner

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) was looking to revitalize its brand in order to attract a younger and more diverse audience. Offering a collection that spans billions of years, the challenge was to create a bold, contemporary identity worthy of such an immense history. Working with Leo Burnett, the rebrand centred around the concept of an “immortal timeline,” imagining each object in the collection as a stitch in
the fabric of shared history.

This concept was visually represented through a new wordmark, custom typeface (ROM Coign), original photography and an adaptive design system. The identity launch included a Union Station domination in Toronto with high impact static and digital ads, a launch event that projected the timeline onto museum walls, and a reimagined ROM magazine. The results saw increased brand awareness, with annual admissions more than doubling from 456K to 1M, and the new identity resonating with
art and culture enthusiasts.

Credits

Agency: Leo Burnett, Toronto
Client: Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)

Creative Agency: Leo Burnett, Toronto
President: Ben Tarr
Co-Chief Creative Officers: Lisa Greenberg, Steve Persico
Managing Director, Account Services: Natasha Dagenais
Chief Strategy Officer: Tahir Ahmad
VP, Group Creative Director, Design: Man Wai Wong
Design Director: Marcelo Hong
Designer: Eric Espinosa Iracheta
Designer: Ryan Abrams
Junior Designer: Tatjana Dudas
Motion Designer: Yar Kukhtin
VP, Group Director: Kim Le
Account Director: Yvonne Li
Account Supervisor: Kate Owczar
Account Executive: Lauren Clancy

Photography:
Photographers: Mike Tjioe, Saty + Pratha

Typography:
Type Foundry: Colophon Foundry

Print Production:
VP, Post and Print Production: Gord Cathmoir Print Producer: Kevin Stephen
Senior Graphic Artist: Graham Bowman
Pre-Press Technician: Shahid Qureshi Production Manager: Bill Ing Retoucher/Digital Artist: Bill Hastings

Video Production:
Executive Producer: Janice Rebelo
Senior Developer: Dan Purdy
Junior Motion Editor: Leah Fellows