MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) identity

“MICA straddles a major boulevard in Baltimore. The historic Main Building of 1907, which looks as if it were carved from a giant chunk of white marble, is situated directly across from the 2003 Brown Center, a taut glass iceberg of a building that projects over the street as if nodding to its older colleague. In creating a graphic identity for the school O wanted to capture its juxtaposition of historical and modern sensibilities, and to specifically reference the dialogue between the two buildings.

“Founded in 1826, MICA is one of the oldest art schools in the nation, evident in its turn-of-the-century buildings and campus. The wordmark we developed is a typographic portrait of this relationship: the monumental capitals are seen in counterpoint to the rhythm of the fine verticals, the last of which carries the angled ‘prow’ of the Brown Center facade. A pattern within the identity program recalls the ornamental motifs and moasaics of the Main Building, as well as the fritted pattern of dots on all of the panels in the Brown Center.” — Abbott Miller, Design and Content, Princeton Architectural Press, September 2014