Order turns Frank Lloyd Wright’s red square into a symbol of community

Frank Lloyd Wright is among the most celebrated architects of all time. What often surprises people is that this status offers his buildings no automatic protection. At the time of writing, over 15% percent of Wright’s built works have already been destroyed. Nearly half of those that remain could be demolished tomorrow with no legal obstacle. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has spent 35 years working to change that equation. Founded in 1989 after a group of concerned Wright homeowners, architects, scholars and preservationists decided enough was enough, the Chicago-based organisation unites a community around the preservation of Wright’s remaining buildings. They led the effort that resulted in eight of them being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. They hold preservation easements, provide technical assistance and mobilise advocates when buildings face threats. When Order, a design office specialising in brand identity, took on their rebrand, the challenge sat at an unusual intersection: honouring one of America’s greatest architects without imitating him, and standing apart from peer organisations whilst signalling collaboration with them. The Conservancy’s previous logo was a red square, subtly inscribed to resemble the front façade of Wright’s Larkin Building in Buffalo. Its demolition in 1950 had been a galvanising loss for the preservation community, but only those already in the know recognised the reference. The landscape of Wright-related organisations is crowded, and many use some variation of the iconic red square as their logo. The brief called for something that would illuminate the Conservancy’s focus on all of Wright’s buildings whilst conveying the urgency of their work.