Pentagram have been commissioned by The Art Institute of Chicago to redesign its identity in conjunction with the opening of the Modern Wing, a stunning 264,000 square foot expansion designed by architect Renzo Piano.

This marks the collective's second collaboration with the architect after the The New York Times project. J Abbot Miller, creative partner at Pentagram, together with his team, created an identity inspired by the inscription of the name on the famous Michigan Avenue façade of its 1893 Beaux Arts building.

The new mark strikes a point of balance between the modernity of the Piano-designed wing and the classicism of the building. When seen in relation to the historic façade, the mark has the gravitas of an engraved cornerstone, but when seen in relation to the Modern Wing, it echoes the precision and lightness of Piano’s structure.

Apart from the mark, Pentagram, in collaboration with Hoefler & Frere-Jones, developed a typeface for all environmental graphics and way finding systems, fully integrating it with the architecture.