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MK: How did the team get immersed in this project? Were there lots of field trips to check out the gardens?

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MF: Myself and the Wolff Olins team visited the gardens right away – we couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in the space. Some of us had been before, others had not. For some, it had been several years since they last visited. We were all excited and started by delving into NYBG’s physical archives. The wonderful staff librarians gave our team an intimate tour of the design pieces that had been created for the institution since its inception – some of which informed our earliest sketches. We explored the herbarium and saw how plants are pressed and archived for research and preservation. We also had the opportunity to tour the grounds, led by the knowledgeable NYBG staff who engaged us in the vast property, collections, and New York City's oldest living wooded landscape, the Thain Family Forest.

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MK: “Do right by nature” - How did this call to action come about and why did it feel right for this project?  

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MF: NYBG is not simply one thing. It's a vibrant, active, local treasure for residents and visitors of NYC, holding community farmer’s markets, education programs for all ages, and offering a lively yet relaxing respite from the swirl of New York life. It simultaneously acts as an integral hub for plant scientists around the world—NYBG has the largest botanical library in the western hemisphere. The academic rigor that NYBG contributes to scientific research across so many fields is an integral part of their mission. The “Do Right by Nature” call to action stems from its offerings, linking the activities of humans and nature into one philosophy that cannot and should not be isolated from one another. It is our responsibility as humans to have the right relationship with nature - especially at this moment in time where the wellbeing of our environment is hanging in the balance. “Do Right by Nature” is active and inclusive, reminding us all that we can be good stewards of the environment. And NYBG is the starting point for that—whether we are studying it, protecting it, or simply enjoying our own connection to it.

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MK: The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a massive greenhouse in the gardens, was it immediately obvious this would become part of the identity? Or did it become relevant through exploration?  

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MF: Throughout the process of designing the identity, we continually asked ourselves what, if any, representation of the conservatory should come through in the design. We felt that the conservatory could play a more active role in the way the identity is expressed, rather than simply being depicted pictorially as a stamp. The refreshed identity uses moments of hyper expressive typography, structured over the architectural framework of the conservatory to drive the shapes and movement forward—it feels like movement captured in a snapshot.

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MK: What were some of the biggest challenges with this project?    

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MF: The hardest part of the project was selecting a path to pursue—we were not at a loss for any ideas. There were so many inspiring opportunities that the identity could have been shaped by. And not only was the subject matter full of boundless possibilities, working with the NYBG internal team was a dream—they too were full of insights and enthusiasm for all of the possibilities. Our strong partnership with NYBG helped us stay the course, enthusiastically supporting the design decisions we were making throughout the process.

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MK: The typography in this project in particular feels super distinct, what was the process like for developing type?

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MF: From the beginning, myself and the team were particularly interested in driving the work toward a sense of place rooted in New York City and the Garden itself. We were thinking about typefaces and typographers that felt quintessentially New York and we focused on Herb Lubalin, one of the three founders of the International Typeface Corporation and the famed U&lc Magazine. Lubalin’s typeface ITC Serif Gothic had the foundations for what we were looking to express at NYBG. It was bold, direct like New York, and it had unique serifs that felt connected to plant anatomy and all of the life we can find at the Garden. With ITC Serif Gothic as a starting point, we partnered with the incredibly talented Ryan Bugden to push the typographic design further, resulting in a custom typeface. We brought the characteristics of the plants front and center, with the serifs becoming more pronounced to resemble the tips of a succulent leaf. We made adjustments in several diagonal characters to accentuate organic movement more overtly, driving distinction to the face to feel like something completely unique for the Garden.

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MK: Any surprising programming you discovered at NYBG during this project that you can recommend?

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MF: There is so much programming that NYBG does that I could speak about here. On a more personal level, my mother attended the continuing education courses for floral design at NYBG several years ago as she was shifting away from her previous profession to pursue something that was her true passion—she has been successfully working in the industry ever since. I think the greatest thing about the New York Botanical Garden is that it’s a fountain of resources and it is committed to being at the center of the local community—while also having an incredible impact on plant research globally.