Walt disney
concert hall

In 1991 BMD was commissioned by Gehry Partners to develop an original visual signature and environmental graphics program for the Walt Disney Concert Hall (WDCH), the new home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Opened in October 2003, WDCH runs an entire city block, and forms a large part of a revitalization plan for the downtown area.

Design work proceeded from the premise that the identity would not mimic, but rather resonate with the essential characteristics of the architecture — honesty, originality, humanity and wit.

The foundation of BMD’s output was the creation of a unique typeface for use in all graphic applications. Using computer animation techniques to generate typographic forms sympathetic to the dynamic qualities of Gehry’s architecture, BMD produced “A font called Frank.”  Animated by chaotic idiosyncrasies only visible on close study or in large proportions, the typeface is deceptively classic in small applications. Developed within the guidelines of the American Disabilities Act (ADA), “A font called Frank” was used to execute all plans and specifications for directional signage and pedestrian and vehicular wayfinding systems, in addition to its central role in the overall environmental graphics package.

Signage materials specified by BMD such as aluminum and magnesium alloy and perforated stainless steel integrate with architectural elements and surfaces, and are scaled to site specifics. For example, a curved entrance wall has four-foot-high letters appropriate to its streetscape location.

The donor recognition program also plays into the whimsy of Gehry’s architecture. Felt coarsing walls outside the auditorium use embedded stainless steel letters to recognize major donors, while a stainless steel ribbon spiral in the public gardens rounds out the names of those who supported the building fund. The Blue Ribbon Garden, created by Gehry Partners for Lillian Disney, has its donors’ names represented in stainless steel letters set into the travertine tiles that surround it.