Benicia Historical Museum at the Camel Barns- Before
by Jeff Fisher, Engineer of Creative Identity
Jeff Fisher LogoMotives

Background:

The museum in Benicia, CA is located in the historic Benicia Arsenal structures, where camels were housed after a failed U.S. Military experiment to use them as pack animals in 1850's and 1860's. Initially, the museum seemed to have a split personality with two graphic elements being used for the facility's identity. The simplistic circular logo incorporated a camel and arches representing the buildings. An almost cartoon-ish camel image was used for online identification of the museum. The images were used in one-color; usually black or dark brown.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

The museum requested an identity that graphically conveyed a historically perspective for marketing and promotion purposes. A bit more focus on the locally recognized historic structures was desired, while maintaining some reference to the camels of post Civil War times. The oval shape, with banners, presented a more "antique" look for the identity. The font trio of Horndon, PanAm and Copperplate added to the image. Stars incorporated into the design hint at the military history of the site. The colors used reflect the sandstone buildings and the red in the original flag used when Benicia was California's state capitol. The logo was recently honored with an American Corporate Identity Award.

Alina's Feedback:

When viewing the two older logos associated with the Benicia Historical Museum, one would think the museum's historical focus is the camel. The arches above the camel look out of place, not only because they look like they are balancing on the camel's hump, but also one wonders why they are there to begin with. Jeff's redesigned logo portrays a more accurate and informative hierarchy with the main focus on the historical architecture and military with a reference to the post Civil War camels and the museum's location at Camel Barns.