Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy rebrand highlights "profound void" of lost buildings

New York design agency Order has created a new visual identity for the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy, which is informed by Wright's red square used in his signatures and a set of wooden blocks the architect used in childhood.

Order created a new logo for the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy (The Conservancy), as well as a new typeface, graphics and colour palette based around materials commonly used by Wright.

The logo is made up of a four-by-four grid of small squares, with one square missing in the middle. This punched-out shape represents the void created when a Wright building is neglected, lost or threatened, according to the Conservancy.

"The 'missing' square in the Conservancy's new logo represents the profound void created should a single Wright building be lost or threatened with neglect – an evocative image that is as intentional in meaning as it is striking in form," it said.

The square shape also calls back to the red square Wright often incorporated into his work as a tag or signature, such as a red tile placed on a building, or a red square printed on drawings.

This shape was then extruded and used to create a geometric, graphic representation of Wright's buildings across the graphic identity, including a blocky Fallingwater house made up of rectangles.

"As the story goes, Wright's fascination with architecture began with a gift of Froebel blocks from his mother," said Order. "The identity extends this idea through the graphic language of the symbol by creating an illustration system that adapts to each individual structure."

The palette, made up of a muted green, red, yellow and blue, was based on "the materials, textures, and tones one encounters in and around Wright's buildings" such as the green used in stained glass windows and the red tone of his floors.

For the identity's typeface, Order used a customised version of Reply designed by Optimo Type Foundry. The typeface, originally created by François Rappo, calls to Wright's favourite typewriter font.

"In his written communication, Wright had a particular affinity for a typewriter version of Vogue Intertype," said Order.

"Wright's use of this typeface inspired Reply, which references this pivotal phase in the development of modern American design."

The new branding will also be used for the subsidiary communications brand, SaveWright.

For SaveWright materials, the logo is semi-inverted, where the single square is highlighted instead of missing.

"This adapted symbol highlights the 'missing' square to be saved," said Order.

The new branding has been rolled out across the Conservancy's digital platforms, while the Conservancy and Order will host an upcoming online event that further explains the design.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy previously spoke out against the unauthorised attribution of a house in Ohio that used original Wright blueprints, and was involved in a controversy surrounding the sale of Wright's only built high-rise in Oklahoma.

The images are courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy by Order

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