KCAD alum’s design leadership sparks new visual identity for the Muskegon Museum of Art

With ambitious plans to construct a new wing and a collection earning mentions in The New York Times, the Muskegon Museum of Art was poised for a bright future in 2024. At the same time, MMA Marketing Director Kristina Broughton saw a brand refresh as a key part of the museum’s next step forward.

The MMA opened in 1912, quickly amassing an impressive collection that earned it the nickname “the hidden gem of Muskegon.” While its spaces and programming have evolved over the years, the museum's brand had remained largely untouched since 1980.

Broughton joined the MMA in 2021, shortly after enrolling in the Master of Arts in Design program at Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design. Her arrival also coincided with the kick-off of the museum’s $15.4 million expansion project hitting the national news.

KCAD alum Kristina Broughton

“With the expansion announcement earning us wider recognition and opening new relationships with major art museums, it felt like the perfect time to take the brand to a higher level as well,” said Broughton.

That meant much more than updating the MMA logo and color scheme.

“We needed more consistency in visuals, tone, and messaging,” she said. “It’s not just about how the brand looks, but how it shapes perception and reputation.”

Broughton would go on to earn her master’s degree from KCAD in 2023. She credits her experiences in the Master of Arts in Design program for her ability to articulate the value of what she was proposing to MMA executives and the museum’s board of directors.

“The leadership skills I learned at KCAD prepared me to strategically navigate those conversations," she said.

With board approval, Broughton immediately jumped into action, mapping out all the changes to be made.

“I led the charge in terms of educating the people around me about what a brand refresh entails, telling them we're not doing this in a rushed way, because we might miss the mark,” she said.

Using the evidence-based approach she learned at KCAD, she began by seeking community input. Surveys and focus groups helped identify what the community wanted from the museum and how they hoped it might improve the city’s future.

With that feedback in hand, she began to plan, enlisting the help of designer Kara Gerard from WillyRoo Designs to help build out the brand and Extra Credit Projects, the award-winning Grand Rapids creative agency led by fellow KCAD alum Rob Jackson, to handle the website.

Meanwhile, Broughton acted as creative director, keeping communication flowing between the designers and the museum’s staff while making sure all the pieces fit together cohesively.

(above and below): the redesigned Muskegon Museum of Art logo and how it was inspired by the museum's architecture (images courtesy of the Muskegon Museum of Art)

(above and below): the redesigned Muskegon Museum of Art logo and how it was inspired by the museum's architecture (images courtesy of the Muskegon Museum of Art)

The new MMA logo was inspired by the museum’s architecture.

“If you look at an aerial view of our building with the new wing, the letters actually fit into that shape,” Broughton said. “Originally, Kara was looking for the letters M and A throughout the building, and in the process, she found all these really unique shapes within the walls, hallways, and doors. They’re literally the shapes of our museum, so we made them part of the brand, using certain ones to represent education, others for our permanent art collection, and others for membership.”  

The museum’s new color palette is primarily black and white, which can be paired with any other spot color when the museum is promoting a certain work of art. That classic combination is supported by a five-color palette using hues from iconic pieces, such a coral pink color borrowed from a painting of a dress in the museum’s permanent collection.

Part of Kristina Broughton's challenge in rebranding the MMA was establishing a new color palette (image courtesy of the Muskegon Museum of Art)

One of the main goals of the refresh was to bring more energy into the brand, attracting visitors below the average demographic of 65-year-olds. Broughton and her team also worked to make the MMA seem more approachable.

“Art museums can be seen as exclusive, and that's not who we are,” she said. “This is a place of learning, expression, and creativity, so we wanted it to feel friendly, accessible, and welcoming.”

When it came to extending the brand to the building, Broughton drew inspiration from a KCAD study abroad program to London. While the class was primarily focused on architecture, it helped her understand how a brand can affect the visitor experience in public spaces.

Updates to the MMA website (above) and promotional materials (below) illustrate the new brand in action (images courtesy of the Muskegon Museum of Art)

“I took a look at how those spaces were designed and brought a lot of that back here in terms of signage, accessibility, and sustainability,” she said. “That trip definitely informed a lot of our rebrand and the way it affects spaces within the museum.”

The new brand launched in October of 2024, and the MMA’s new wing, known as the Bennett-Schmidt Pavilion, opened to the public this past February. And if Broughton has anything to say about it, the museum’s momentum is slowing anytime soon.

"The rebrand was only one of the building blocks toward a larger goal of making the Muskegon Museum of Art a destination location and a key player in bringing national audiences to the city,” she said. “We want to see our ambitious exhibitions and collections celebrated on the national stage while positioning the MMA as an economic driver for our local community.”