Jack Lenor Larsen Incorporated, the American textile firm founded in 1952 by weaver and designer Jack Lenor Larsen, developed a visual identity that was closely tied to the craft of its products. The company’s branding, including a “plain weave logo,” was applied consistently across letterhead, envelopes, business cards, fabric labels and press releases, helping the Larsen name become recognized internationally.[1][2]
Design and History
In 1960, graphic designers Arnold Saks and James Ward created a letterhead, envelope and card system for Jack Lenor Larsen, a project recognized in the AIGA’s “Design and Printing for Commerce” exhibition of 1961.[3] The identity was developed to promote Larsen’s consultancy work and to distinguish the designer personally from Jack Lenor Larsen, the corporation.[4]
Ward and Saks had an earlier working relationship with the company, having designed a Christmas card for Jack Lenor Larsen, Inc. in 1958.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The 1960 letterhead design used Larsen’s initials to create vertically extended letterforms that suggested fiber, with a symmetrical composition.[4] This direct reference to textile material reflected the company’s core business in fabric design and production.
Beyond the stationery system, the company’s broader branding incorporated a “plain weave logo,” a motif drawn from the fundamental textile structure that underpinned much of Larsen’s work. This mark appeared on a wide range of corporate materials, reinforcing the connection between the brand and the craft of weaving.[1]
Typography and Design
For the 1958 Christmas card, Ward and Saks specified the typefaces 17th Century Italian and Caslon 540 Italic, printed by offset on Champion Kromekote paper.[5] The 1960 letterhead system, however, was built around the vertically extended initial letterforms rather than a conventional wordmark, a design choice that tied the typography directly to the idea of fiber and weaving.[4]
In 1997, Jack Lenor Larsen Incorporated merged with Cowtan & Tout, the American subsidiary of the British firm Colefax and Fowler.[2][1] The Larsen brand continues to be distributed through the Andari Group, which markets Larsen textiles internationally.[6]
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