Founded in 1971, the Hall of Fame honors innovators who have made significant contributions to art direction and visual communication. The Hall of Fame membership represents a “who’s who” of design and advertising and is meant to serve as an inspiration to the creative community.

The graphic identity for the 2010 Hall of Fame gala, exhibition and “Festival of Fame” speaker series has been designed by Pentagram. The identity, which is entirely typographic, features Carter Sans, a typeface designed by Matthew Carter, one of the Hall of Fame laureates and the recipient of a 2010 MacArthur "genius" grant. 

The Carter Sans family is based on epigraphic letters used in inscription, and the gala graphics are suitably elegant and ceremonial. In the campaign materials, the letters A, D and C in all laureates’ names appear in three metallic colors to shimmering, subtle effect. The invitation and other gala materials are wrapped in a paper band that lists the 154 prior Hall of Fame inductees—a piece that pushed the typographic limits by registering four spot colors in 7-point type.

The designers have also created a series of cards to be given away at the gala that feature their selection of epigrammatic statements about art and design from 10 past laureates including Saul Bass, Paul Rand, Massimo Vignelli, Annie Leibovitz and Seymour Chwast. Carter Sans was donated by Monotype and gala ticket holders will receive a free advance copy of the typeface.