The Norman Rockwell Museum Advertising :: The Human Touch Exhibition

Adverstising | Posters | Mockups

The exhibit “The Human Touch” focuses on Norman Rockwell’s ability to bridge realism and idealization of American culture. His narratives are shaped by observations and a care for his subjects and their individual experiences. The campaign for “The Human Touch” exhibit of the Norman Rockwell Museum draws on the artist, his legacy, and the meaning behind his work. The goal of the campaign was to allow the artwork to shine, allowing the viewer to feel the intimacy and storytelling to be drawn in and connect the artwork to the exhibit. Through a strong geomtric and typographic approach, the campaign appeals to viewers of all ages, drawing on the human experience as a method of advertising appealing to all ages. The goal is to increase traffic to the museum and interest in Rockwell’s artwork while fostering the connection between the artwork and the passerby.

Exhibit Details & Feature Poster

Norman Rockwell was an American painter and illustrator. He captured the essence of the American spirit through paintings of everyday life that spanned a time of political, technological, and cultural changes in American history. He worked for The Saturday Evening Post creating over 322 covers in 47 years later working for Look and the Post magazine and creating advertisements for other organizations and government roles such as the Boy Scouts of America and the US Navy. Over his career he shifted from more nostalgic happy images to socially conscious artwork in the 1960s near the end of his career. The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA, seeks to preserve and exhibit the world’s largest collection of Rockwell’s artwork along with his personal materials and studio. The museum highlights education and the study of American illustration as well as Rockwell’s impact on popular culture and social commentary.

The exhibit “The Human Touch” focuses on Norman Rockwell’s ability to bridge the love of realism and his ability to idealize which is a large push in American culture. His art is defined by a hopeful view of humanity and he wanted to capture the complexity of humanity between small interactions, his narratives are shaped by observations and a care for his subjects and their individual experiences. The campaign for “The Human Touch” exhibit of the Norman Rockwell Museum draws on this rich history and deep meaning in both the artist, his legacy, and the meaning behind his work. The goal of the campaign was to allow the artwork to shine, allowing the viewer to feel the intimacy and storytelling to be drawn in and connect the artwork to the exhibit. It calls on the viewer to experience the moments within the paintings, finding themselves in moments captured decades prior. The campaign appeals to viewers of all ages, drawing on the human experience as a method of advertising appealing to all ages. Primarily the posters connect to more empathic and art forward individuals as they would find interest in the artwork and storytelling. The goal is to increase traffic to the museum and interest in Rockwell’s artwork while fostering the connection between the artwork and the passerby.

Thumbnails

Process

Drafts

At first a lot of emphasis was initially placed on Rockwell’s “characters” from his illustrations or on the paintings in a rectangular grid, however both of these did not do justice to the paintings or create the connection needed for the campaign. The choice was made to emphasize the humanity and detail of the paintings through a minimalist design while allowing the paintings to shine, creating the connection for the audience. There was also a consideration of the history of Rockwell’s work, its meaning and themes and how best to capture the works.

Typography

The typography was chosen to draw the viewer in through a clear grid and readable type. The combination of serifed type, Baskerville, and sans-serif for secondary information, Din, allows for an easy reading experience while meshing well with the paintings, not over taking them. The large serifed type also references Rockwell’s work on The Saturday Night Post as the magazine had a strong serifed headline. The paintings and illustrations are meant to be an interchangeable system that always highlights the mastery of the display of human connection, drawing the viewer in. The system works so that all of Rockwell’s paintings could be highlighted in a large gridded system. The frame draws attention to the connection taking place and references the lines present on The Saturday Night Post covers. The frame also grounds the illustrations and draws a natural attention and sense of order to the organic moments taking place through the paintings. The use of black and white for fonts and the rectangles/linear elements allows for the paintings to shine and draw the viewer in to Rockwell’s paintings. The frame also acts as a window into a different vision or experience, drawing the viewer into the paintings and inspiring them to come to the museum.

Finalization

Consistency was ensured through the repetition of the frame/rectangle element, repeated colors for the type and visual elements. The system remains the same as the paintings are interchangeable, making the campaign look unique and visually interesting while it can also stand alone.