How did Seattle’s oldest museum become Seattle’s newest museum? With a powerful, interactive vision, stunning new glass walls, and an exciting campaign to unveil it all to donors and community members alike.
In 2015, Campbell & Company partnered with the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture to develop an engaging messaging campaign for the “New Burke”—a nearly $100 million redesign of the Museum’s existing campus.
After immersing ourselves in the Burke’s collections, programs, and plans, as well as leading conversations and workshops with museum leadership and Board members, we landed on an enticing invitation for the public to “See Through the Burke.”
This message supported multiple meanings: visitors would be able to literally see through the walls of the museum and watch curators, archaeologists, and others at work—but they could also see their local history and culture through the incredible collections on display. The resulting campaign, which we brought to life in close collaboration with graphic designer Asha Hossain, has been widely and successfully implemented by the Burke.
The Burke brought our team back in 2017 to help create a cohesive narrative strategy that would frame a high-impact visitor experience at the new Burke. This work involved developing descriptions of the visitor experience moving through the museum, developing core messaging that can be woven into exhibit text, and generating naming options for the six main galleries.
