The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to exceptional individuals in any field of knowledge and creation, under the freest possible conditions. For a century, these fellowships have helped artists, writers, scholars and scientists pursue their work without any restrictions. On the occasion of the organization’s 100th anniversary, Pentagram has collaborated with the Foundation on a brand identity redesign.

 The new identity reinforces the Foundation’s remarkable heritage and ongoing relevance. The team elevated the word “Fellowship” to the forefront of the organization’s communications, shifting focus to the transformative effects the grants have had on individual lives over the past century. (It is a happy centennial coincidence that each of the words “Guggenheim,” “Foundation” and “Fellowship” have ten letters.)  

The team wanted to create a bold graphic framework that broke away from the staid and solemn graphic tropes associated with typical foundations. The monospaced Guggenheim Fellowship wordmark is employed as a dynamic element in the system; the logo can be stacked, broken-up into a square, reduced to a ‘GF’ emblem, or reinterpreted as the circular Foundation seal for official communications. A broad palette of bright colors was provided to supplement the strong black and white graphics, allowing the Foundation to introduce energy into the system and vary in tone from serious to celebratory. 

The logotype, set in a custom version of Graphik Mono, was expanded into a full typeface in collaboration with Commercial Type. The headline-like font emphasizes the contemporary relevance of the organization’s mission, and acknowledges the impact that each fellow has on his or her respective field of activity and on the world at large.

The identity extends to all stationery, posters, Foundation communications and centennial event collateral. The redesign was launched in an advertisement announcing the centennial class of Guggenheim Fellows in The New York Times, designed in a bold but legible format by the Pentagram team. 

The team also worked closely with Area 17 on the new Guggenheim Foundation website. The site is a working database of 100 years of Guggenheim Fellows and their contributions to the world, intended to grow with the organization as a resource for potential applicants and researchers for years to come.