Reimagining Human Rights.

Canadian Museum for Human Rights

Brand Strategy, Behavioural Science Insights, Visual Identity, Verbal Identity, Brand Guidelines, Accessible Design

The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) is one of the most iconic museums in the world—celebrated for its striking architecture and powerful purpose. But over time, the brand had become more about the building than the movement it was built to inspire.

A decade after opening, the Museum had evolved. It was no longer just a place—it was a journey. Visitors weren’t simply admiring the architecture; they were being transformed by the stories within its walls. The brand needed to reflect that shift—from structure to substance, from form to purpose.

Challenge

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Rebranding the world’s first museum dedicated to human rights came with no playbook. Few had ever defined how to visually or emotionally express “human rights” in a way that feels both universal and deeply personal.

Our approach began with behavioural science—understanding the mental frameworks that help people connect emotionally, feel empathy, and be moved to act. Through semiotic testing, we explored how symbols, language, and even sound could shape subconscious meaning and motivate change.

This work, now recognized at international design and behavioural research symposiums, uncovered two central emotional drivers of human rights:

Connective: empathy, solidarity, shared humanity

Defiant: strength, resilience, the will to act

These became the foundation of the Museum’s new brand strategy—and the inspiration behind its visual identity.

Strategy

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When the Canadian Museum for Human Rights first opened, its original logo was a literal reflection of its architecture—iconic and recognizable, but rooted in a moment when the Museum’s inner identity was still taking shape. It was a brand about place, not yet about purpose.

Fast forward ten years, and the Museum has transformed. The rebrand reflects that evolution—from a building to a catalyst for change. From a space you visit, to a movement you feel part of.

The new logo embodies this shift:

• Positions the Museum as a space where human stories spark light, even in the darkest moments.

• Symbolizes a foundation of empathy, education, and empowerment—the core of the Museum’s mission.

• Serves as a promise, not just a place—one that illuminates the human experience and inspires positive action.

Drawing from the building’s iconic glass and stone forms, the new identity transforms them into radiating rays of light—a visual metaphor for the Museum’s role in amplifying human rights around the world.

Each element connects back to the two key semiotic themes:

Defiant: The sharpness of the rays, in both positive and negative space, suggests strength, clarity, and resilience. Light becomes symbolic of resistance—a force that shines through adversity.

Connective: Although the rays move in multiple directions, they all begin at a single point—representing our shared human experience and the many paths that emerge from it.

Together, these dual energies—connection and defiant—create a dynamic mark that embodies what it means to stand up for what’s right, together.

Beyond the logo, a purposeful colour system extends the Museum’s story across every touchpoint. Each hue reflects a thematic area—from Indigenous rights to sustainability—expressing both the emotional depth and the global diversity of human rights.

Creative

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