SOAP FACTORY
LAUNCHES NEW BRANDING

A revised brand coincides with a renovated building as the Soap Factory prepares for next chapter
With a newly renovated building on the horizon and new programming in the works, the Soap Factory saw this evolutionary period as the ideal time to rethink, retool, and relaunch its brand. Acknowledging the original 2003 Soap Factory logo has strong recognition, the new version capitalizes on that image while bringing a modernized, updated look.

“By not straying too far with a new identity we capitalize on our solid name recognition while reinforcing the renovated Soap Factory is staying true to its core mission and values,” stated Bill Mague, Executive Director of the Soap Factory. “We’re very excited about the new ‘look.’ It brings a new level of consistency and professionalism to our communications as the Soap Factory enters a new era.”

The new branding will be adapted in signage in the renovated building, incorporated into a newly revised website, used in print materials and other applications in the months ahead.

Local graphic designer Michael Seitz created the revised brand. Seitz works as design director at 10 Thousand Design and also does freelance work under the name Everyday Objects. He has worked with a diverse range of industries including tourism, outdoor sports, and retail, but his passion is collaborating with art and cultural institutions. Seitz has partnered with The Harvard Art Museums, The Princeton School of Architecture, Stanford University, and Society6. Seitz has worked with the Soap Factory for more than three years designing posters, catalogs, didactics, and more.

“We wanted to preserve the integrity of the current identity, yet make it feel evolved to reflect this new chapter for the organization,” said Seitz. “One of the things that everyone said about the Soap Factory is that it has a contemporary punk-feel. I tried to inject that into the revised branding that will hopefully allow the Soap Factory to have a lot of functionality in the day to day, but also allow for variance and the eclectic mix of what the Soap Factory has to offer.”

Explaining the process, Soap Factory Residency and Gallery Director, Kate Arford said, “About two years ago we did a deep dive with board and program committee about the Soap Factory’s mission, purpose, and identity. We came up with a set of newly defined values for the Soap Factory. We used those values as a starting point for this rebrand. Our past identity has been amazing and has served us well in the last decade, and we wanted to capture that same ethos from the original logo but with a forward-looking approach.” 
OOOPS!
AOV9 will be presented Fall 2018

We were so excited to reopen our doors; we got a little ahead of ourselves. The Soap Factory renovation is a big, complex project involving a 130-year old building with 52,000-square feet of space. Did we mention it was big? So maybe we were a bit overly optimistic thinking we could host the first exhibit in May. While we still plan on opening our doors later this summer Art(ists) on the Verge 9 will now be presented in our space later this fall.

Our priority is to make sure that the AOV9 artists are supported and have the space they deserve to present the projects they have spent the last year developing in this unique mentorship program run by our partners, Northern Lights.mn . We hope you will join us this fall for the AOV9 exhibition and show your support for these talented local artists.
Soap Factory
514 2nd St. SE
Minneapolis, Mn 55414