In the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky sits the historic Fayette County Courthouse, a monolithic Richardson-Romanesque structure of ornamental limestone and glass constructed in 1899. Though architecturally beautiful, this national landmark building sat vacant for many years in severe disrepair. Fortunately, the city saw fit to restore the courthouse and have turned it into a Oiuta Michel restaurant and bar, the city visitors center, a wedding event space, and home-base to both VIistLex and the Breeders Cup.
Cornett, the ad agency I work for located just blocks away reached out to the development team and preservation society to propose the idea of branding the courthouse into something was less governmental, and more social that felt befitting in aesthetic - Courthouse Square was the chosen moniker and the task fell to us to brand this landmark structure.
Under the creative direction of David Coomer, I developed a custom monogram, logotype, and brand system of colors, typefaces, and illustrations, as well a large quantity of signage, both interior and exterior, much of which was either hand-painted by Paint Town Signs or laser-cut stainless steel lettering. We even helped share the amazing history of the building in a large custom engraved limestone monument sign featuring a typeface of my own creation, Skyward.
It was an honor to be entrusted to brand something at the epicenter of our home city that we get to see daily here in Lexington, it’ll be great to watch this work grow into the building as time passes. Photography on this page by Clay Gibson.