Located just 37 miles north of New York City, Darien, Connecticut, is one of the wealthiest towns in the country. The Museum of Darien tells the city’s proud history through the power of historical objects, including a 17th century blanket chest, a hand-sewn flag from the Civil War era, archival photos, and more.
The Challenge:
Making Everyone Part of the Story
Despite their town’s proximity to the New York metropolitan area, the community of Darien feels strongly that they want to preserve their unique history and identity. The Museum of Darien allows the community to celebrate their town heritage while remaining inclusive and welcoming.
While Darien is known for its wealth, the museum wanted to ensure all residents felt part of the town’s story. This meant that their marketing efforts needed to tell the full story of Darien and its rich past while still raising funds to continue operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Solution:
Putting the Museum at the Heart of History
Even though Darien is widely known for its high-net-worth residents, the museum wanted to connect with the broadest possible local audience. At the same time, they needed to continue raising much-needed funds to keep educational programs and other offerings running during the pandemic.
We worked closely with museum board members and leadership to identify the core values they wanted to communicate with their marketing campaign. Ultimately, we developed a three-part strategy that would clearly connect the museum’s mission to their beloved town.
Our pitch would be direct, articulate, and honest, making the case that the museum was the heart of the town, sharing a full and complete history that spoke to every resident. To help make that argument, we developed a pitch deck for donors, a gate-fold membership brochure, and an email outreach campaign.
Our pitch would be direct, articulate, and honest, making the case that the museum was the heart of the town.
The CREATIVE:
Three Approaches, One Brand
Our goal was to increase awareness of the museum’s key role in the Darien community. To do so, we used a three-part approach that involved a print and digital campaign for existing and potential supporters.
Collateral
Our work always begins with a thorough understanding of the client’s existing brand. Fortunately, the Museum of Darien had recently conducted a brand refresh, which included a redesigned website and new logo mark. This gave us a strong foundation on which to build our campaigns, so we ensured our collateral aligned closely with the new look and feel.
We designed the gatefold piece to create a sense of welcome and community for the recipient, with the front flaps acting as a sort of “open door” inviting the reader to learn more. Inside, we highlighted the key impacts that the museum had made within the community in the past year, along with an easy-to-use donation slip.


Pitch Deck
For the pitch deck and email campaign, we utilized the strong geometric elements of the new logo to keep the brand identity consistent across channels. We then worked closely with the museum’s executive director to ensure our messaging reflected the key role that the museum played in the community.