American Library rebrands: a new chapter to commemorate and celebrate

Design studio The Click created a new name and brand for American Library, formerly known as ‘Memorial to the 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force, United States Army Air Forces.’ Initially founded as a memorial to the US servicemen and women who served in World War Two, the brand felt its identity didn’t fully represent the full range of memorial offers.

The previous name failed to capture the collection’s specialised proposition: to provide readers with books about the U.S., its history and its culture. The name, instead, embraces Americana and literature while acknowledging and respecting the sacrifice it commemorates. American Library encompasses the institution’s forward-thinking approach wile remaining true to its offering.

"As a brand designer, this is the kind of creative brief you dream of – the opportunity to seamlessly combine two such distinctive visual references – to create something so seemingly obvious,” says Bobby Burrage, creative director at The Click.

The logo also pays homage to literature, seamlessly combining the distinctive American flag and an open book as a reference to the library’s unique herniate ang present-day purpose.
The brand icon lends itself well to framing imagery in a variety of ways, as well as forming block colour graphics to further echo the curve in the binding of a book or the turning of a page.The one-colour block also allows for a diverse range of executions and production techniques, and a wider application of the identity.

“The logo was the easy part – we then tasked ourselves with how best to apply it to the wider brand touch points. The core idea lends itself very well to the way-finding and die-cut bookmark, as well as providing useful structure for editorial,” adds Burrage.

The agency worked on a brief that would better capture the public’s imagination, challenging misconceptions and representing the reality of what the library’s shelves have to offer.