The Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles, a pediatric orthopaedic institution founded in 1911, has operated under several names over its history, including Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital and Orthopaedic Institute for Children. In 2022, the institution was renamed The Luskin Orthopaedic Institute for Children (LuskinOIC) following an alliance with UCLA. [1]
Design and History
Documentation of a 1981 logo for the Orthopaedic Hospital designed by James Cross could not be verified through available primary sources. James Cross was a prominent Los Angeles-based graphic designer who founded Cross Associates in 1963, with offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Newport Beach, California. [2] His firm produced annual reports and corporate graphics for clients including Northrop Corporation and Mattel, and his work appeared in AIGA Communication Graphics exhibitions during the 1970s and 1980s. [3] However, no hospital identity work by Cross appears in the AIGA Design Archives listings of his credited projects, and no other reliable source confirms an Orthopaedic Hospital logo commission.
The institution’s current visual identity reflects its 2022 renaming. A trademark filing for “THE LUSKIN ORTHOPAEDIC INSTITUTE FOR CHILDREN” describes a mark consisting of the words “THE LUSKIN,” “Orthopaedic,” “Institute for,” and “Children” stacked vertically, surrounded by the broken outline of a circle. [4] The organization also holds a trademark for the wordmark “LUSKINOIC.” [5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The institution’s mascot, Ozzie, is described as a “fun-loving red dragon” and the “official mascot and the spirit of OIC.” [6] A separate trademark for “OZZIE,” owned by Los Angeles Orthopaedic Medical Center, describes the mark as a red dragon with white, black and blue eyes and a yellow belly containing the word “OZZIE” in blue font. [7]
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