The Century Association Archives Foundation—Brand identity, collateral and website for the archival arm of the renowned private arts club in New York City.

The Century Association Archives Foundation was established in 1997 to preserve, organize, and administer the historical records of the Century Association, a New York arts and letters club founded in 1847. The Century Archives document the history of the Association, its landmark clubhouse, events, and activities of numerous members prominent in the realms of art, literature, music, and public affairs. Centurians include 29 Nobel Prize laureates, eight Presidents of the United States, ten US Supreme Court justices, 43 Members of the Cabinet, members of the Rockefeller, Vanderbilt, Roosevelt, Jay, Schieffelin and Astor families.

The old Century Archives homepage, in use from 2012 to 2024

Prior to my engagement, the Century Archives lacked a distinct identity, relying instead on brand assets from the Century Association. Although the Association is a private club, the Archives operates as a registered nonprofit open to all researchers; this reliance on shared assets often blurred the distinction between the two, overshadowing the Archives’ mission and the broader value of its collection to art scholars, biographers, historians, and more. Compounding the issue, the outdated website—unchanged since 2012—failed to convey the depth and significance of its holdings, perpetuating the misconception that it focused solely on club history.
The new branding gives the CAAF a well-deserved face of their own that feels like a cousin, but not a twin, of the Association itself. It leans into motifs associated with the pomp and formality of private clubs while also introducing playful elements that modernize and update these conventions. The branding was applied to a new website, print materials for the club, and the archive itself (box labels, wayfinding, etc.)

Mauseoleum is a semi-sans typeface inspired by a plaque found at the Boston College Library. It has an Art Deco sensibility while also taking cues from stone-carved Roman capitals like Trajan as well as contemporary stylied semi-sans like Serif Gothic by and Tony DeSpigna. Our version of Mausoleum uses a customized numeral eight.

Merlo is an interpretation of the 18th-century’s typefaces from the Spanish punch cutter Juan Manuel Merlo. Juan Manuel Merlo’s typefaces exhibit influences from northern Europe and were perhaps produced using matrices acquired from Plantin. Merlo is a pure book typeface with only a Roman and an Italic.

The identity relies on a simple, easily applied system rooted in a mostly monochrome palette, and just two typefaces. This confident approach lets the content of the archive itself shine while still grounding the stability of the archive. A range of marks were provided to suit the various needs of the archive, which is multi-pronged and needs to speak to many different audiences—like those who are interested in the architecture of the space, the history of the members, the artwork created by members.

In 1940, the Century’s first archivist, Rodman Gilder, sketched a magpie on a Centurion bookplate album, calling it the “totem of archivists” for its instinct to forage and collect. The new identity reimagines Gilder’s magpie, now more legible and perched atop a book with the Century’s initials.

The secondary CAAF seal is inspired by classic book stamps, and is used in applications that require a more low-touch and small scale marker for the Century Archives.

The illustrated facade is a nod to an artwork created by a member in 1989 (also seen on the new homepage), and is reserved for use in cases where a closer link to the Association is needed.

A custom toile pattern was made from illustrations drawn by past members, all sourced from the archives themselves.

The color palette is comprised of a warm white and a dark umber, as well as supporting accent colors derived from the rich interiors of the Century Association’s interiors.

A view of the Italian Renaissance-style palazzo on W 43rd St. that houses the Century Association Club and the Century Archives.

An updated version of a 19th century Century Association monogram is used for communications directly involving the club.

Custom “John Doe” silhouettes are used for member entries without photography.

The new website, designed in collaboration with Progress Labs is focused on navigability and access while still prioritizing the somewhat staid affect that members have come to expect from the organization. It includes a new online archive, member profiles, and detailed information about aspects of the club—bringing it into the 21st Century for visitors across the world (even if they can't get a nomination to join the club itself!)