Project 1: Museum Logo Rebrand

5 min readFeb 3, 2021

(Corporate ID, Spring 2021)

Research

“This museum is for mature audiences, so parents be cautioned about subject matter. Not for the faint of heart!” —The warning on their website.
Photographs and/or videos of any type (cellphones included) are strictly prohibited within the museum. (Respect for the dead!)
Doing so will have you immediately removed from the premises- Thank you for your consideration and cooperation. — Their policy

My chosen logo for this rebrand project is the logo for the Museum of Death — a museum established in June of 1995 by JD Healy and Cathee Shultz. The purpose of this museum was to educate people regarding the subject matter due to the apparent void when it comes to education about death.

The museum was first located on the site of San Diego’s first mortuary but has since moved to New Orleans and Hollywood (although the museum in Hollywood is currently undergoing relocation).

As it is a museum dedicated to the macabre and learning more about death, the museum contains:
“The largest collection of serial killer artwork, antique funeral ephemera, mortician and coroners instruments, Manson Family memorabilia, pet death taxidermy, crime scene photographs and so much more!”

(examples below — though one is simply an interior shot)

(images from: https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/19590 | https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/inside-hollywoods-grim-museum-death-21457030 | http://www.museumofdeath.net/info | https://www.latimes.com/la-me-museum-of-death-manson-2019-story.html)

Museum of Death Location(s) & Contact Info:
New Orleans, Louisiana
➡ 222 Dalphine Street, 70112 — (504) 593–3968

Hollywood, California
➡ Relocating (No new info yet at the time of writing this) — (323) 466–8011

Reviews

In regards to reviews about the museum, it received mostly positive reviews with a 4.3 star rating — many calling it unique and interesting, speaking positively of the staff, calling it very knowledgeable and a great learning experience.

Though there are some who did not enjoy the experience, likely because of some of the exhibits are rather graphic or because they felt it was built on the suffering of others, some calling the price of admission a tad much ($17 per person) and not really worth it. Some called it inappropriate for children (well of course it would be. There are literal crime scene photos out for display and there’s even a picture [or pictures] in one of the locations of a naked woman with her new boyfriend posing with the hacked off limbs of the old boyfriend the new one helped her murder. The site even says it’s for mature audiences and parents beware). One person even mentioned how the museum and it’s exhibits made her close to having an anxiety attack at any moment.