Woman’s Athletic Club
Year
2022
Projects
- Logo Design
- Brand Standards
America’s first social club for women turns 125
Founded in 1898, the Woman’s Athletic Club is a gathering place and resource for women located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Housed in a landmark building along bustling Michigan Avenue, the WAC is a vibrant club fostering social connections, intellectual culture, professional enrichment and wellness for modern women in all stages of life.
To mark the club’s 125th anniversary, they embarked on a year-long celebration featuring a series of luncheons, galas and special club programming and merchandise to celebrate the club’s storied past, embrace their vital role in the present and inspire generations of the future.
WAC turned to us to create a logo to be used throughout their 125th year across a variety of mediums: everything from their own website and letterhead to needlepoint patterns and Christmas ornaments available for their members to purchase.
Logo Design
Since 1929, The Woman’s Athletic Club has occupied an iconic seven-story building at 626 N. Michigan Avenue along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile. The French Empire-style building, designed by Philip Brooks Maher, received landmark status from the city in 1991. WAC’s Board of Directors were keen to see logo designs riffing on elements of the building’s facade. From its recognizable silhouette and balconettes along Michigan Avenue to stone reliefs of lionesses, griffins and rams, the building is rich in design elements from which to pull inspiration.
In the end, the Board opted for a logo that was a clean, modern interpretation of their current WAC monogram—with the addition of a stylized “125” to denote the club’s anniversary.
626 Landmark Foundation Logo
The Board was also fond of this window and balconette rendering—so much so that they decided to use it for the 626 Landmark Foundation.
The 626 Landmark Foundation was established in the year 2000 to promote public appreciation of the building’s landmark features, to support preservation efforts, and to inform and educate the public. The Foundation raises tax-deductible funds to support these goals.
