The University of Dayton’s Department of Art and Design recently unveiled a new name and visual identity for its gallery. Graphic Design seniors, Kaylee Schneider and Daniel Martin began the rebranding effort in the Spring of this year—engaging in extensive research, ideation, and visual exploration—in collaboration with Graphic Design faculty John V Clarke. As a result, the former Gallery249 became the Radial Gallery at the November 3rd opening of “Point”, an exhibition of the work of Art and Design’s senior artists and designers.

The design team was given the option of keeping or changing the gallery’s name and early exploration and reflection revealed that “Gallery249” simply did not speak to the outside or extend into the community. “The idea of extension and outreach became guiding factors in our process”, Clarke said, “and we made a conscious decision to see the gallery as the center.” Schneider adds “we had this idea of a responding center, extending out, and a gathering place [drawing in]… and looking at the floor plan for the gallery, we were interested in a large pillar and wall in the space, that we saw as an axis or centerpoint.” Another consideration was the gallery’s physical location in Fitz Hall, and the building’s past as a manufacturing facility for the NCR Corporation had some poetic impact. “At one point, we looked at what kind of machinery that might have been used in the factory…” Martin stated, “machines with interchangeable parts for when a new product is created… with conveyor systems to move the parts and product within the facility and beyond… kind of like a gallery, with interchangeable art and design works creating exhibitions, conveying ideas and information.” As a result, motion and parts becoming whole, were important influences as the design took form.

Throughout the conceptual and visual ideation, the vision of a centerpoint with lines radiating out and converging in dominated. After countless names were generated and considered, the Radial Gallery was born. In the initial presentation of the visual identity to students and faculty, the mark was revealed over time, first appearing as a black dot (the center). A line then extends and begins to rotate like a “radar sweep” or lighthouse to speak to outreach, extension, and discovery—eventually coming to rest horizontally pointing to the left. Then negative space to the right appears, forming a white capital “R”, with the words “RADIAL GALLERY” below.

During the process of branding the Radial Gallery, the Department of Art and Design acquired the use of a space at the Front Street Buildings in downtown Dayton. This space is conceived as an extension of, and a reference to, the department and the Radial Gallery. The Front Street space has been named, Index, representing its role as an indicator toward the artists, designers, and visual work of UD’s Department of Art and Design.