Big Babushka Branding

When The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) came to Media South with a complex branding problem, our immediate reaction was “Russian nesting dolls!” (That’s what is so cool about solving visual identity puzzles. Solutions rarely require reinventing the wheel, but typically they involve looking at the wheel, or in this case, the dolls, in a whole new way).

Here’s the story. Basically, ETHS was trying to figure out how to add a complementary brand for the East Tennessee History Center–with which they were affiliated–without losing their own identity in the process. Our creative solution was to develop a set of brand and style guidelines positioning ETHC as the marketing "container," or big Babushka doll, for the entities “nesting” within (the East Tennessee Historical Society, The Museum of East Tennessee History, the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, and the Knox County Archives).

OK, so the result doesn’t looking anything like a set of Russian nesting dolls, but the theory is the same. The new ETHC logo (based on the Historical Society logo) frames the Center as the visual container housing this little family of related historical organizations.

We’re always up for a good brand and visual identity challenge, and love a chance to dive into the toy box for inspiration. So when you’re ready to get noticed, give us a call. In the meantime, check out our big Babushka solution for ETHS at www.EastTNHistory.org.