The Isabella Steward Gardner Museum
Identity Revamp 

*Accessibility & Inclusivity*

On March 18th, 1990, the biggest art heist in history took place in the marshy urban wilds of the Fens, Boston, Massachusetts. The mystery of the missing Rembrandts and Vermeers is still unsolved. Despite the absence of some of the most valuable paintings in the museum, the heist has only made the museum a bigger attraction.

HISTORICAL REFERENCE
Inspiration

Isabella Stewart Gardner, the museum's founder and curator, was deeply committed to accessibility and inclusivity in the arts. She believed that art should be available to all, not just the elite. To ensure this, she stipulated in her will that the museum be open to the public for free on specific days, making the collection accessible to everyone. Gardner envisioned the museum as a shared cultural resource, where public engagement was at its core. She wanted visitors to feel a sense of ownership over the collection, fostering a connection between the public and the art, and emphasizing her belief in inclusivity as part of her legacy.

Therefore, we kept the following target audiences in mind when creating our deliverables:

• People with impaired vision (accessible palettes)
• People who are hard of hearing (text to speech feature)
• People with low functional and digital literacy (including older audiences, who may not be familiar with digital interfaces, people who primarily speak a language other than English, and people who are unable to read to a functional level) 

^{DESIGN SYSTEM}

Brand Identity

ISGM Ticket & Map

• Ticket includes QR code to access maps available
• Map is minimal and very easy to follow, with just enough contrast between the colors

ISGM Website

• Plan Your Visit page ( English, Spanish, Mandarin, and French)

• Buy Tickets

• Know Before You Go Checklist

• Map (including links to download the Gardner museum app for an extended immersive experience once you arrive at the museum)

_{Accessibility page}

• Mobility accommodations and specialized tours for people with impaired vision or who are hard of hearing 

• Links to the museum’s curated audio guides and transcripts to download them in advance

• Link to download the app

_{Art Collection Page}

• Handy filter system that lets you explore artwork at the Gardner based on room, category, century, or type of art 

• Unlike the old website, now you can select multiple filters at once to create your curated art feed

ISGM App

• Virtual Ticket

• Guided Tours

• AR Guide

Cafe G Menu

• A handheld menu with high-contrast colors and braille would allow you to read menu items if you had impaired vision to any degree

• Large printed menu placed on the wall of the Cafe’s interior

• Corresponding menu-item images and a numbering system

• QR code for digital menu (different languages)

Environmental Graphics