The Museum of Pre-Columbian and Indigenous Art (MAPI) participated in Re|Creación’12 so that graphic, industrial, and fashion design students could work on new design proposals. Patricia Cerban was one of the five students who chose to focus on MAPI.
According to the student, the project consisted of three phases. First, the five students had to research and assess the museum’s current design situation. Next, they presented their design proposals, and finally, they refined those proposals and presented the finished pieces.
“From the very beginning, we met with the museum director and part of his team—first, to get a better understanding of the museum’s situation and identify its needs, and second, so they could share with us their goals for Re|Creación,” said Cerban, who is about to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design.
Once that phase was complete, the students began working on their projects and interspersed their workdays with opportunities for feedback sessions where “we presented our progress to the museum staff, and they gave us their feedback.” Cerban noted that the MAPI staff was always “very supportive of us” and “showed a keen interest in incorporating our ideas into the museum.”
The new logo
“I started by researching what the museum needed in terms of graphic design,” the aspiring designer explained. “From day one, I saw it as an opportunity to develop a major project, since I basically had to start from scratch.”
He said he studied the pieces on display at the MAPI and observed the textures, colors, and shapes that were characteristic of each collection and that also had graphic value. “The building itself is a historic landmark, so there were also elements of architectural interest,” he added.
What Cerban presented was, as the name suggests, a comprehensive project: “In addition to the institutional branding, promotional materials, and design items to be sold in the museum shop, it also encompasses the field of museography (graphic design related to the museum’s permanent collection).” It also included the design of the sub-brand “MAPI Diseño,” which is the museum’s shop for selling items related to the exhibitions. Cerban explained that, in this case, in addition to the brand’s visual identity, a series of pieces linked to the project carried out by Sofía Gervaz, a fashion design student, were presented.
Once Re|Creación’12 had concluded, the director of MAPI contacted Patricia Cerban to tell her he was interested in implementing her project. He also told her that they wanted her to collaborate on future projects. “Actually, I started working with them in the area of museography, since that was their most urgent need: it was one of the goals for which they had applied to Re|Creación in the first place,” she said. “The issue of the new identity had been raised from the start as something difficult to implement, but after seeing the final results, the decision-makers were so enthusiastic that they decided to make the change.”