Yoko Ono

The exhibition also coincided with a key moment for the institution, which was changing its name from DHC/ART to the Phi Foundation.

The communications objective was therefore threefold: announce the presence of a major artist in the city; invite a new audience to visit the Foundation; and communicate the name-change to loyal visitors. In collaboration with Phi, our mandate was to produce a billboard campaign and outline the main design interventions for the exhibition. We also designed both the website and the book that accompanied the exhibition throughout the world.

The exhibition signature interlaces the words Yoko and Ono, thus rendering the intimate and participatory dimension of the artist’s work. Used in the poster campaign and communications, it quickly became iconic. An interactive version greeted users on entering the event’s website.

The black-and-white topographic approach and the sobriety of the design reflected the qualities of the artist’s work. In her practice, Ono had often highjacked the advertising medium to turn it into a space for artistic expression, notably in her work “War is Over!”.

An awareness campaign was developed to announce the organization’s name change. Its title—“Phi Foundation for Contemporary Art”—suggested the tone of strong advocacy in many of the artist’s creations.