A logo in the round for the Myseum of Toronto

Interbrand has created a branding concept based on time and place for new alternative exhibition space the Myseum of Toronto.

The consultancy developed the visual identity, name and brand strategy of the Myseum of Toronto concept.

The non-profit organisation – or “museum”- is not based within a building, but instead offers a range of virtual and actual exhibits and experiences going on around the Canadian city.

It encourages visitors to “experience communities, cultures and urban and natural spaces” rather than “visit a building”.

The brand identity is an circular black and white logo, which can be animated and which allows the museum’s name to rotate when viewed online.

It aims to “emulate a clock symbol with its ticking motion”, says Interbrand, and symbolises the passage of time.

“It represents how time acts as a lens through which people can access what Toronto has to offer at the Myseum, from the past to the future,” says the consultancy.

The monochrome identity was intended to be “simple” to keep the focus on the “stories, artefacts and places” of the city, the consultancy adds, which was also the reasoning behind the name.

“The ‘My” in ‘Myseum’ is a twist on the traditional idea of a museum – that it’s all around us,” says Karen Carter, executive director at the Myseum of Toronto. “It’s not just one place, it’s every place.”

The consultancy adds that the “My” was included to encourage visitors to associate with the museum.

“As the exhibitions are built from personal stories and artefacts from Torontonians, highlighting ‘My’ within the name was a key way to show how citizens can interact with and co-create the Myseum,” it says.

The museum is currently undertaking project Myseum on the Move, which involves collecting objects, photos and stories that represent the people of Toronto to be curated and exhibited digitally as part of a project launching this autumn.