The Barnes Foundation is an education institution dedicated to the appreciation of art and culture and is home to one of the world’s most important collections of impressionist, post-impressionist and early modern paintings.

Currently, the Barnes are undertaking the most ambitious development in its history as the collection is moved to a larger more accessible home on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, in the centre of the cultural corridor of Philadelphia.

Working in collaboration with Pentagram design, we built a new website for The Barnes to provide them with a flexible platform that will allow them to communicate their unique story and present the new accessible Barnes as a welcoming friendly place to a larger audience. The site will continue to evolve as the Foundation settles into their new home and opens its doors on 19th May 2012.

We tested the new website in Philadelphia at key points in the development to make it user focused. The new site has a new, fresh, user-friendly design, which relates to the unique way Dr. Barnes hung the art collection and provides much more information about the Barnes collection as well as events, exhibitions and education. We also restyled their membership; newsletter and shop to better reflect the new brand.