When the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and the Qatar Foundation (QF) partnered to adopt His Excellency Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al Thani’s private collection of over 6,000 pieces of Modern and Contemporary Arab art, their objective was to build an institution that would instigate an Arab art movement in the world. To become the leading voice on Arab Modern and Contemporary art in the region and beyond, facilitating interest and dialogue about Arab Art between artists, scholars and the general public.

We worked with poets, artists, and culture experts to create the new brand identity, the new name Mathaf (Museum in Arabic), and two typefaces both in Arabic and English. We designed the digital experience including website architecture, wireframes and layout. We worked closely with the architect to craft a holistic museum experience. We produced thought-provoking items for the museum gift shop and created a range of marketing collateral and advertising campaigns.

Mathaf opened on December 30, 2010. As of February 2011, the museum already had 2,000 fans on Facebook and strong interest from the region. H.E. Sheikha Mayassa complimented us for having built such a strategically considered and cohesively delivered brand: “I believe the arts and Mathaf have a role to play in building a new identity for Qatar, but one that’s rooted in tradition.”