Watson channels the works of Glaser and Lubalin for The Florian

The Brand Identity: A beautiful wordmark sits at the centre of Watson’s identity for The Florian: a small-cap italic serif weighted with swashes and flourishes, drawn from the lineage of New York lettering. To shape it, the NYC-based agency looked closely at the work of Milton Glaser and Herb Lubalin, two iconic designers whose typography carries the unmistakable feel of mid-century Manhattan. The result is a wordmark for a Gramercy Park residence that feels like it has always been on the building. “Gramercy Park has such a rich visual language to draw from,” explains Olivia Kane, Associate Art Director at Watson.

“For the wordmark, we wanted something rooted in typographic tradition. And not just anywhere, but specifically New York; Gramercy is such a quintessential neighbourhood of the city.” The flourishes carry a double meaning, nodding both to tradition and to the greenery that defines the area. To stop them tipping into decoration, Watson anchored the swashes against a restrained serif, holding the lettering steady so the ornament reads as added character. Reaching that point meant spending time with the neighbourhood, and specifically with its paper trail.

The team pulled together menus, postcards and matchbooks alongside the engraved typography that welcomes visitors into Gramercy Park and the intricate ironwork lining its sidewalks. The materials revealed a version of the area shaped by its arts and crafts traditions, which became the brief that the rest of the identity answered to. “When you dig into Gramercy’s old New York heritage, you find a neighbourhood that’s always stayed true to itself,” Kane shares. “It wasn’t dusty, stuffy or pretentious. It reflected the arts and culture the neighbourhood has quietly fostered for generations.” The name arrived through the same lens.

Watson tested directions weighted toward historical reference and others tied to Gramercy lifestyle cues, but The Florian kept coming up. It traces back to the Latin word for flowering, a connection that points to the parks and green spaces ringing the building and speaks to the people Watson identified as likely residents: first-time homebuyers ready to make New York their long-term home. “The idea of flowering felt like an inviting symbol; encouraging those ready to put down roots and embrace the next chapter ahead,” Kane notes. From the wordmark, the system extends outward through a fleuron.

The small ornamental mark punctuates the full wordmark in some applications and stands on its own as a secondary identifier in others. Its lineage reaches back into the craft tradition that runs through the rest of the project. “It’s a symbol borrowed from an analogue era of printmaking and manual typesetting – an era that Gramercy Park effortlessly calls back,” Kane explains. “In isolation, it’s a secondary mark – a little wink layered into the brand system.” Three typefaces support the marks. MD Lórien by Mass-Driver carries the historical weight, sitting comfortably alongside the swashed lettering.

LL Catalogue by Lineto and Founders Grotesk by Klim Type bring the contemporary edge that keeps the system from settling into pastiche. “Catalogue and Founders Grotesk both do something interesting: they feel contemporary by embracing bygone typographic idiosyncrasies in their construction, making what’s old feel new again,” Kane reflects. The three pull in the same direction, making the identity feel historic and present-tense at the same time. A deep, worn-in green leads the colour palette. Watson chose a shade softened by time, picking up on the ivy and the parks that thread through the neighbourhood.

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The article discusses a design project that connects historical typography with modern branding, which is significant for the industry but not groundbreaking, making it relevant for brand strategy professionals interested in heritage and modernity.